Breaking Away
by Animation Universe 2005
Summary: A young lion cub breaks away from his parents' job as trained assassins to live a new life and somehow ends up in the Jade Palace. Will he find peace and confront his past? T for violence and language. Enjoy!
1. Breaking the Cycle

A new story I came up with in March. It just couldn't escape my head and this story about this troubled lion cub who has anger problems has been dealing with a lot of things; having his parents who are assassins and expected to be in their palce. Joe 'Po' Navark helped me out with this and this is what I came up with.

Warning: this may contain violence and mild language. Enjoy!

* * *

Breaking Away

by: Terrell James

Chapter 1: Leaving the Cycle

Somewhere in China...

In a cool afternoon in China, a short young lion, about 13 years of age, hazel-green eyes, makes his way towards his home and when he got there, he seeks his parents; a male lion, mid-40's and a lioness; late-30's, standing in front of him while wearing black clothing and surrounding themselves with a barrage of weapons and the young lion was confused on all this and he asked, "What have you brought me here for?"

The father lion walks up to him and he said, "Kaleo...we've been waiting for this for a long time since the day of your birth."

Then, his mother came towards him and said, "For your 13th birthday, we decided that it's time for you to be in the family business...how to murder people and get away with it."

Kaleo just stood there, looking very appalled and disturbed to know that he's gonna enter the family business of private assassins and he was afraid that something like this would come, especially since he has disturbing memories of watching his parents kill innocent people growing up.

"Are you guys saying that I'm gonna...?" asked Kaleo, in a state of shock and anger.

The father nods his head and said, "We expect you to be a professional assassin if you wanna keep this tradition going. You've seen what we do and how we do it well and now that today's your 13th birthday, you are ready."

Just then, Kaleo looks at the black clothing that his parents showed him that reads 'future assassin' and just from looking at it, he knows that it's wrong to just kill someone and get away with it. Though it may not drill into their parents' heads, he doesn't want anyone to suffer the same way their victims did in the past.

_Flashback_

_As a young cub, little Kaleo has grown up watching his parents hunt and kill innocent people that came across their way; whether if it's breaking in their homes, pouncing them in the forests or even in places where no one expects to hide themselves away from and seeing them happen right in front of him...triggered years of complete horror and a sense that the world is a cruel place. He used to see dead bodies come around; ranging from adults to kids to little infant children and all Kaleo could do is just watch helplessly as this happens._

_Though his parents trained him for fighting skills, most times they demand perfection and how to kill right and in some cases, he would screw up some and they would end up scathingly scolding him._

_"What can't you get it right? Do you want to be an assassin or not?"_

_Young Kaleo looks at his father and asked, "Why should I have to do this?"_

_His father growls at him and just shouts, "Because if you wanna be accepting of us, you're gonna have to do what we do! And do it right!"_

_They also oppose of Kaleo feeling sorry for the victims and their families because they convinced him that they shouldn't mourn for the loss because mourning is for the weak and spineless. And soon enough, when it came time for the test run at age seven, the parents ordered him to kill four young bunnies and from the looks of these kids, they were about as scared as Kaleo is and when he refused to do so, his parents grew furious and killed them all as if they want to teach his son not to show mercy to their victims._

_But the assassination didn't stop there...not only would Kaleo watch in disgust to see his parent's jobs to kill by their claws, but their weapons; ranging from pickax, mace, shovel, knives, cannons and poisonous items would do the jobs and Kaleo could see mounds of blood, bodies being mutilated or cut up to pieces or even hung up in ropes and it puts him through sheer horror and panic._

_But that's not the worst part. Even when Kaleo isn't around his parents, most of the villagers look at him and sees him as a dangerous predator that he'll strike and kill anyone if necessary, assuming that their parents sent him to do so simply because he's a lion. Kaleo tries to say that he will never harm anyone, but they just run away from him and call him names such as 'beast', 'young predator', 'innocent killer' and the one name that always seems to hurt him the most...'monster assassin.' _

_He secretly blames both of his parents for dragging him into this assassination business and held a long bitter resentment towards both of them for letting this unfold that lasted for years and there was immense pressure by his parents pushing him to be in the family business and figured that when he turned 13, he was to join the biz as they expected him to, but with all the years that he had to contend with, there has to be a point where he cannot take it much more._

Present day

Kaleo looks at the black shirt and he knew for a fact that if were to join them, he'd spend the rest of his life to be an assassin with his parents and he's reached his limit as he stared angrily at them and he said, "No."

Both parents were shocked to hear him refuse to join the ranks of being a future assassin and the father grew livid and asked, "What did you just say?"

"I said no! I do not want to be in the family business like you expect me to!" Kaleo shouted.

The mother could not believe what she was hearing come out of Kaleo's mouth and she lets out a snarl and shouted, "We've worked blood, sweat and toil to teach you how to be an assassin like us and you refuse to do so?"

Kaleo growls at her back and said, "You've put me through enough already! For 13 long years, I had to deal with watching you kill innocent people and try to put me in this! That is not the life I want!"

"That's enough! You don't have a choice! You're one of us and that is what's best for you!" his father shouted, with much venom as he could.

Kaleo then roars at his father's face in a fit of rage and shouted, "No! You only want what's best for you! Well, I'm not you anymore! And I will never be a part of your...murder business anymore!"

As Kaleo sets out to leave, his mother stepped in with an angry growl on her face and said, "If you think you're gonna waste your life by not being one of us, you've got another thing coming! Now put on that freakin' shirt right now! You're gonna be an assassin and you're gonna like it!"

"Never!" Kaleo spat out.

Both parents could not actually believe that Kaleo is rebelling against his parents expectations and his father growls at him loudly and said, "All of this work...preparation and teaching...for NOTHING!"

"I refuse to be a part of this family business anymore." Kaleo said, angrily.

And with that Kaleo turns to leave the room and while the parents weren't looking, he ran so far away from his parents that he didn't even care about looking back and that anyplace is better than staying at his home. Kaleo stops for a minute and sees that he's still holding the family business shirt and in a sign of anger, he throws it down to the ground, walks over it and then pees on the outfit, showing that this is what he thinks of the assassination business.

Then, he dusted them off with dirt and continued to make his way where he can hopefully leave behind everything his parents forced him to do while he was younger. He knew that this day was coming and that was the breaking point for him because he had lived off so much pressure of his parents forcing him to get into the world of murdering the innocent.

He could still hear the voices come out of his head as he was running.

_'Kaleo, you're gonna be a part of us.'_

_'The innocent are just a bunch of weak saps. And we kill those people.'_

_'Someday, you'll be a natural born killer because it's who we are and what we do.'_

_'That young lion will murder us all! Your family, your friends, your children!'_

_'Let this...this...BEAST leave our home for good!'_

_'You're a future assassin! You're a future assassin!'_

_'MONSTER! This kid is a monster!'_

_'This is it, Kaleo...you'll grow to be a murderer in no time.'_

As those voices kept crawling into his head, he collapsed down on the floor and just broke down crying...something that his parents call it as a sign of weakness, but to Kaleo...it was a sign that he had been emotionally scarred for years and all of those years of being in an environment where there was just murder all around and how to cope with being called a dangerous predator or future assassin most of his life by other people is enough for him to take and don't know how else to deal with it.

He gets himself up, lets out a few choked sobs and continued making his way...with tears in his eyes and that day for him...is a breakaway.

* * *

How's this? A little 'eh...' from the start, but at least it's starting. How's this so far? There's more coming up!


	2. Long Lonely Journey

This idea was pitched by Joe 'Po Navark. Thanks, dude!

* * *

Chapter 2: Long Lonely Journey

Kaleo continued running throughout parts of China in a space of merely two weeks after leaving behind his parents' expectations on being a future assassin and all those years, he had to put up with his parents' crap for so long and for pressuring him to be in that position. All his life, he's been surrounded by so many negativity in his life and has been hurt so many times before in the past and he's held a huge amount of bitterness and resentment over his parents as well as others outside of the job, assuming that he's a predator coming out to hurt everyone else.

It was so much for one lion cub to take and he felt like no one understands and/or wants to give him chance and he found himself cutting himself off from the world to avoid re-opening those wounds he kept for so long. Each time he makes a stop for a rest or something to drink, random people tend to look at Kaleo and run away in fear, thinking that since he's a lion, he might hunt them down and eat them alive.

Kaleo knows he would never harm a soul, but the thought of being called a predator made him so angry that he still doesn't know how to control his anger, but deep inside...he's just hurt and sad, which is a side that no one really sees because he doesn't like to murder innocent people and follow his parent's footsteps.

As he continued to make his way to a place where he can get away from everything, he soon found himself face-to-face with snow. The young teenage lion growls angrily as a heavy snow blasts through his face and said, "Great! This is just what I need!"

Kaleo hated the fact that there was a snowstorm coming in his way, but he didn't care. He continued to keep himself going, regardless of what's stopping his way.

Another week has passed and as the snow keeps going, Kaleo face's was hit heavily with snow and the wind prevented him from going any further, but as hard as he might, he tries to keep going and going despite this December storm.

Later on, he looks up at a boulder and what met his eyes was a huge temple on top of the mountains and he sees it as a place to keep himself warm and he wasted no time making his way to the valley and as soon as he got there, he sees a sign that reads 'Welcome to the Valley of Peace.'

Those three exact words were precisely what he needs, just to find some peace and as he made his way over, some of the citizens and villagers there had never seen a lion before and quickly assumed that he was gonna harm any innocent villagers or their children and it irritated Kaleo to the extent that they would say something like that towards him. He lets out an annoyed sigh and continued to make his way, but soon enough he was getting sick of the snow blowing in his face and the cold air coming in and just went with running.

As he ran faster, he dashed his way through some stairs and they lead all the way to the temple and when he entered inside, everything was almost dark and he quickly shook off all the snow from his fur and lets out a silent shiver. Then, as he looked up, he could immediately see that he's never seen anything like this before.

Kaleo widened his eyes with wonder and amazement as he looked at the temple and said, "This is impressive. Look at this place."

He silently walked around, taking the entire atmosphere in and he was surprised to see everything he had to see and he might've figured that someone was there and he asked, "Hello? Is...is anyone here?"

There was no reply and before long, he hears some footsteps come around and Kaleo was quick to react to it. He lets out a few breaths and asked, "Who's there?"

"I am."

He turns around and a certain red panda stepped out of the darkness and faced Kaleo and the young lion asked, "Who are you?"

"I am Master Shifu, the grandmaster of the Jade Palace."

Somehow, Kaleo has heard of the Jade Palace before, but never really knew the core of it and once he found out who Master Shifu was, he lets out a shocked gasp and then realizes that he stepped in the Jade Palace without anyone knowing about and Kaleo didn't know what to do or what's gonna happen next.

* * *

Left ya hanging! Wonder how Kaleo can clear this up! Also, thanks for the reviews, especially to an anonymous reviwer Alpha tiger. There's more coming up!


	3. Explanation for Everything

Let's see how Kaleo explains it all!

* * *

Chapter 3: Explanation for Everything

Master Shifu stared at Kaleo and didn't want to wait for an answer coming out of the young lion and he said, "I ask you again, who are you and what are you doing here?"

Kaleo felt an ounce of fear coming inside of him and he quickly tried to find some words to come out of him and he said, I-I-I'm sorry, sir...master...no, sir! I-I-mean...I didn't mean to intrude in your place any further. I-I-I mean no harm whatsoever."

Shifu then sternly glared at him and said, "You didn't answer my question."

Kaleo tried to gather himself together and he took a deep breath and calmly said, "I'm Kaleo Toshiro. And I came here because it's so cold out here that I had to find a place to get warm."

"Where are you from?" asked Shifu, sternly.

"Uh...W-W-Western China, sir." Kaleo replied, in fear.

Shifu could see the young lion was in fear because he was obviously spooked by his presence and he asked, "Aren't you too young to be running off by yourself?"

"It's better than staying with my parents." Kaleo replied.

Shifu rose his eyebrows on that and he asked, "And why's that?"

Kaleo knew that it was a very personal question and they just met and he wasn't ready to dish out anything and he just let out a snarl as a reponse to that answer and when Shifu heard that, he could tell that it wasn't the right time for it and then Kaleo said, "Look, I'm sorry if I barged on you, all right? I just needed to find a place to stay warm and then I'll be out of your way."

As Kaleo was set to leave, Shifu stopped him on his tracks and he said, "Not in this weather, you're not. And also, you shouldn't be out there in the Valley of Peace alone. Many dangers lurk in everywhere. You should stay here until you decide to come back to your home."

Kaleo took a look at Shifu in a combination of anger and annoyance and he said, "I'm not going back home with them."

Shifu assumed that there might've been a family discord or a rift between both of them and given that this person was younger, he had to ask him about how old he is and he asked, "What's your age, young man?"

"13." Kaleo responded, without emotion.

He was shocked to hear that this young lion is only 13 and is out on his own and he said, "I see. If you must stay here, you'll have to abide by our rules and do what whatever we do around here. Understood?"

Kaleo sighed heavily and said, "Yes, sir."

"And you may address me as Master Shifu through the remainder of your time here." Shifu added.

Kaleo lets out a heavy sigh and said, "Okay."

* * *

Sorry if I made it short, but that was all I got. Also, today's May 26, 2012! Can you guys believe it's been a year since Kung Fu Panda 2 came out! Happy one-year anniversary!


	4. Not So Good First Impression

Here's how he makes meeting the kung-fu masters for the first time.

* * *

Chapter 4: Not So Good First Impression

Just then, Shifu sees all of his students come in the Hall of Warriors and when they do, they stop and stared at Kaleo for a bit, which made the young lion really uneasy because he's not very good at making a first impression especially with people he doesn't know. Tigress looked at the young lion in curiosity and asked, "Who's he, master?"

"This is Kaleo. I found him walking in our Hall of Warriors earlier today." Shifu stated.

Kaleo went over to all of them and he was a little intimidated to see them for the first time and he really wasn't sure what to say to them for the first time, but he studied the looks on their faces as if they know he's a trespasser just 'bargining in' the palace in the first place and he asked, "What are your guys' names?"

"I'm Tigress, leader of the Furious Five."

"Master Crane."

"I'm Master Monkey."

"Master Mantis."

"Master Viper."

"What's up? I'm the Dragon Warrior, but you can call me Po."

"And I'm Xing-Fu Musaki Ko-Kanji Bushido-Akio Meng Cheng Xi-Wang, but you can call me Musaki for short. And what's your name?"

Kaleo clears his throat and replied, "Kaleo Tashiro."

Tigress wanted to know what was he doing here in the palace, thinking that he might be an intruder and she quickly asked, "Why have you come here in our palace?"

Most of them assumed that he stepped in unannounced and Kaleo could tell that they're gonna jump to conclusions pretty quickly and that part always bugged him the most because he was used to being judged or criticized with in the past and he seems kinda uneasy about staying there, giving the assumption that he stumbled onto the palace in the first place and how, in his mind, think that they might judge him for coming there unannounced somehow and sure enough, Kaleo walked up to all of them and he said, "I just came in because of this snowstorm and I kinda stepped in here to get warm. I thought that it was like a little temple for sanctuary."

Soon enough, Crane stepped in and said, "We've never seen anyone like you in our Valley before."

Kaleo rose his eyebrow at that response and he said, "How do you mean?"

"We've never met a lion befrore nor have we had one in our palace." Crane finished.

Kaleo didn't know how to respond to that and he said, "Well...here I am."

Tigress could already sense his personality; didn't want to answer too many questions and seems kinda introverted towards them, which is how she normally would be around most of the masters. She stepped up to him and just asked, "How old are you, anyway?"

Kaleo thought that it was just a random question as he didn't want to get too personal into it and he asked, "How old are you?"

Tigress lets out a little snarl at that remark Kaleo made and Monkey walked over to him and said, "Little known fact; never ask Tigress her age. She kinda hates it."

"Well, I asked her like she asked me, so what's the big deal?" asked Kaleo, a little more unemotional.

Shifu clears his throat and then tells Kaleo, "Master Tigress has just asked you a simple question and you need to answer it."

Kaleo sighed exasperatedly at this and wanted to get this out of the way and he quickly replied, "13. I'm 13, okay?"

Tigress rose her eyebrow after hearing that particular age come out and she asked, "Don't you have parents?"

Kaleo snarled at her in response, almost assuming she asked a very stupid question like he did not want to talk about his parents nor does he want to hear about it and he answered, "Don't really care for them that much."

Viper quickly slithered over to him almost as if she's worried for his parents and she asked, "Don't you want them to know where you are? They're probably worried sick about you."

Kaleo lets out a heavy sigh and he replied, "Not really. I'm never going back there."

Shifu then turned around and told his students, "Listen up, students. Kaleo's gonna stick around here with us and we might as well make him feel like he's at home. Show him the ropes around here and if possible, make sure he goes by the rules. So until he feels like he's ready to head home, I want you all to make sure he gets to learn what we do around here. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Master Shifu." they responded.

Kaleo nodded his head in agreement on this arrangement and he looked at Shifu and said, "Thanks for letting me stay here, master."

Not long after, Shifu made a little suggestion for Kaleo's sleeping headquarters and he said, "Kaleo, since most of our dorms are occupied, you can stay in Musaki's room."

Kaleo rose his eyebrow at that and figured that he was gonna have to share a room with someone and he said, "No, I don't think so."

"Is there a problem?"

Kaleo scoffs at that and tries to find something to say, but so far...nothing's coming out as if he wasn't sure how he'll be able to deal with sharing a room with someone before because he's never experienced it before and said, "No, but I..."

"Then, you'll stay in Musaki's room."

After Shifu walks out, Musaki comes over behind him and he lets out a little chuckle and said, "Guess you and me are gonna be roomates, huh?"

Kaleo groans heavily at this and he said, "Don't refer to me as a roomate. Stranger would be a better word for it."

Musaki could see that this could be a challenge because he's never experienced a person with a major attitude problem, but he's not one to hold grudges against that so whatever happens, he'll give him a chance...no matter how irritating his attitude can get.

Later on, Musaki and Kaleo walked towards the hallways in the barracks and on the way, in comes Po and he almost didn't notice the young lion coming this way and he stopped and said, "Sup, buddy? So I see you're the young lion dude that came over to our palace unexpected?"

Kaleo could immediately see that Po's making a little remark on that and he said, in a sarcastic tone, "Sorry if I intruded in your home."

"No, I didn't mean that. I just meant to welcome you here with us." Po said, happily.

Kaleo stared at him confused-like as if he wants something from him and asked, "Is this some kind of joke?"

Po then scratched the back of his head and lets out a nervous chuckle at this and he wasn't sure what to say next and said, "Okay...anyways, good to meet you again. I'll see you around tomorrow."

He walks off and Musaki felt a little bit uncomfortable with the vibe that's setting in and they continue to make their way into Musaki's room and when they got in, Kaleo was still unsure of how sharing a room would be like, simply because they just met and already they're in the same room, which kinda makes it weird for him.

There was a huge silence coming in between them as Kaleo looked away from Musaki for a minute and of course, he wanted to break the silence to get into the root of Kaleo's problem and he said, "Can I ask you something?"

Kaleo looks at Musaki for a second and asked, in a mean tone, "What?"

"Aside from that awkward moment that just happened there, can you kinda explain to me why you don't want to share a room with me?" asked Musaki.

Kaleo sighed in annoyance and just laid flat down on his stomach on the ground and he said, "Don't wanna talk about it. And you should mind your own business, all right?"

It was obvious that this was gonna be a difficult roomate situation that Musaki was gonna face because of Kaleo's attitude towards him and he thought to himself, 'And I thought Tigress had a bad 'tude.'

Yet another vibe of awkwardness just flew right in and Musaki didn't know what to do because if he said another word, it would mean that Kaleo's gonna be more irritated that he's never had to meet other people who didn't turn away from him whenever possible and all Musaki could do is just lay down on his bed and said nothing. But Musaki could never judge him or anything like that because it's not the type of person he would be and he lets out a heavy sigh and said, "All right, well...we should get some rest."

Kaleo totally ignored Musaki and just turned away from him and went to sleep already and Musaki turns out the light and fell asleep already. Unbeknownst to him, Kaleo looked at him for a second and he shifted his way towards one side of the floor near Musaki's bed and fell asleep. After running away from his parents, the young lion definitely felt like this would barely take some time getting used to. But the real reason why he's showing attitude and possible anger problems is that he thinks that Musaki might judge him as a trespasser for stumbling into the Jade Palace in the first place and that he should not have been there. He lets out a soft sigh as he drifted himself off to sleep, hoping that the second day will go well, although he does have his doubts.

Meanwhile, Musaki slowly turned around as he's sleeping and he opens his one blue eye to look at Kaleo and he felt kinda sorry for the young lion cub and hopes that he'll try anything to help him open up more, but given that this guy isn't really the talkative type, he lets out a heavy sigh and hopes that there might be something he can do to help him out a little bit and with that though, he just went back to sleep.

"Good night, Kaleo." Musaki said, softly.

* * *

Sounds like things between Kaleo and Musaki aren't going well. Just so you guys know that there's a reason why Kaleo showed an attitude towards Musaki because he thinks that he'll automatically judge him for being called a trespasser for coming into the palace when Musaki knows he's not. So there you go. There's more coming up!


	5. First Test

We seek his anger issues play out during his first day of training.

* * *

Chapter 5: First Test

The next morning, everyone hopped out of their dorms after the morning gong and exclaimed, "Morning, master!"

Next thing, Po walks out of the door faster and exclaimed, "Morning, Shifu."

Musaki was next after he stepped out of the room and stood in front of Shifu and said, "Morning, Master Shifu."

Shifu took a second glance around and didn't see Kaleo around and he asked, "Where's Kaleo?"

Musaki took a deep sigh and he responded, "I'm guessing he's still asleep. Tried to wake him up, but he didn't want to be bothered."

Tigress was very quick to react and she burst in to Musaki's room and got down to Kaleo's level and said, "Wake up, Kaleo. We've got training to do."

Kaleo groans heavily and didn't even want to face Tigress and said, "Get lost, will ya? Wake me up when it's not so early."

Musaki came in the room and told him, "We always wake up early every day...well except for Sunday."

"Good. Wake me up when it's actually Sunday." Kaleo said, then went back to sleep.

Suddenly, Tigress stepped out of the room for a few minutes and Shifu was curious to know what she might be up to and then he asked, "Where's she going?"

Musaki bit his lip for a minute and replied, "If I know Tigress...and this is just a metaphor...she might dump some water on Kaleo to wake him up."

That captured Kaleo's attention right away and he quickly rose to his feet and said, "She wouldn't."

Monkey chortled at that remark and replied, "Yeah, she would!"

Kaleo let out a low growl on this and the minute that Tigress stepped in with the bucket of water, she could see that Kaleo was already up and she was surprised to see this happening and didn't expect him to get up that fast and she said, "Guess I won't be needing this."

Kaleo walked up to her and said, "Just be glad I woke up."

Musaki took a deep breath and tried to end this little spat before it might grow worse from there and he said, "Okay...do you have any fighting skills?"

"I'm a decent fighter. I'm not like...professional or anything, but I'm decent." Kaleo replied.

Shifu was looking forward to see how his skills would look like and was also excited to test him out for a bit and said, "Let's see what you got."

Kaleo was skeptical about this because knowing that he doesn't like fighting, he just wants to get that out of the way and show them his fighting skills.

As they were in the training hall, Kaleo wasn't sure what to do at this point because he's got fighting skills, but didn't want to show that he has a passion for it because he detests it so much and Shifu gave him a test to cross through those training equipments and almost immediately, he jumped through the instant clubs, punched the talon rings, dodged through the fiery fields, kicked and punched the wooden gauntlet and went back in front of them, anxiously awaiting their verdict and what met their eyes was shock and amazement.

"Incredible..." Monkey said, in awe.

Kaleo wasn't sure how to deal with compliments because he never received any praise for them and as they were raving his moves, he still hates fighting the most. Just then, Crane suggested that he would spar with him in the Tortoise of Wisdom and when Kaleo tried to make a move, the tortoise would move as well, which bugs him to death.

"Just focus. Don't look at the turtle." Crane said, calmly.

Kaleo tried to keep his composure steady, but each little screw-up results in roaring in frustration and said, "What's with this freakin' turtle, man?"

Kaleo pounded on it and it was a big surprise for almost everyone because he's got an anger issue and Shifu said, "You seem frustrated."

"WHAT DO YA THINK?" Kaleo shouted.

Some of the Five were in silent mode after hearing Kaleo freak out in front of Shifu and Tigress quickly went over to him and said, "Do not raise your voice at our master."

Kaleo growled at her and said, "Stay out of my freakin' business!"

Po tried to diffuse this situation and went over to Kaleo and said, "Hey, easy. I know it's your first day, but don't take your frustrations out on us. We're only here to help."

Tigress folded her arms and said, "Listen to the Dragon Warrior."

Everyone gasped in shock when they actually heard Tigress agree with Po right in front of them and soon enough, Tigress suddenly bit her tongue almost as if she's siding with him for once and thought to herself, 'Did I just say that?'

Crane flew up towards him and said, "It's hard the first time, but you can at least try again."

Kaleo groans in frustration because he wasn't used to re-doing this again if he didn't get it the first time because he knew he would never get it right, but in a way...there was no easy way out of this and said, "All right, fine."

After that, Kaleo walked back to the tortoise and when Crane got in front of him, he said, "Okay, we're gonna try your balance."

That part confused Kaleo a little bit and asked, "Balance?"

"Let me just see how you keep your balance steady." Crane added.

Kaleo tried his best to stand up and walked through the side of the tortoise, but with each step, he almost slips down and as hard as he tried, most of the attempts almost failed miserably and that made him frustrated more than anything and Crane could sense it in a minute and said, "My guess is that you're not balanced."

Kaleo growls at him for that and just hops off the tortoise in anger and heads out for a while, leaving most of the masters dumbfounded and Po looked at this and said, "Wow...in my mind, that was weirder."

Crane sighs heavily as he walked by and said, "Someone needs to help him control his anger. I don't know where he got it from, but I'm thinking that there's something deeper inside his mind."

"You know, I was thinking the same thing too. I'm hoping that maybe I can find out what it actually is." Musaki added, in growing concern.

Shifu then turned to Crane for a second and he said, "Master Crane, why don't you help Kaleo ease his anger problems? I'm sure with your patience and your ways of balance, he can learn a few things from you."

Crane wasn't too sure about that suggestion and he asked, "You think I should, master? He might seem difficult to be taught. Why not you and Tigress? Tigress knows all about anger issues."

Tigress glared at Crane for that remark he made and he said, "As much as I want to ruffle your feathers off with that statement you made, I think I can assist the young lion."

Shifu clears his throat and said, "Nevertheless, me and Tigress will help him confront his anger issues and get to the bottom of it while you help Kaleo."

"Yes, master." Crane said.

And with that, Shifu dismissed all of them as they left the training hall and Musaki was still concerned about Kaleo and he really wanted to find out what the major problem is soon enough and then, Po comes from behind and he asked, "Think we should help Kaleo out?"

Musaki lets out a heavy sigh and replied, "I don't know, Po. I really don't know."

* * *

Kaleo does let his wall come down sooner. Find out next!


	6. Breaking Ground

We see a side of Kaleo you've been waiting for!

* * *

Chapter 6: Breaking Ground

As the day comes to a close, Kaleo walks around the Jade Palace and as he entered in the barracks to walk towards his room, he sees Po walking past him and he suspects that Po might criticize his anger issues on that day so he turned away from him, which left the Dragon Warrior completely perplexed on his facial expression and he said, "Hey, Kaleo."

Kaleo didn't even bother responding back to him and just headed straight into Musaki's room and he didn't notice that Musaki was sitting on the mat and he slumped into the ground, trying to forget about the events of his first training day.

Musaki notices what's his problem right away and wanted to know what's inside his head, but before he even planned to speak...

"If you're going to ask about my day, I don't wanna talk about it." Kaleo snarled.

Musaki lets out a heavy sigh at this and told him, "It's not that. It's just that..."

"Just what? That you're gonna call me a trespasser because I entered in your palace yesterday after a freakin' snowstorm has occured? I know what you're really doing; you look at me and think that I'm a predator and think that I might come for you? Well, guess what, I'm not a trespasser! Never has been, never will!" Kaleo shouted, with anger.

That scared Musaki a lot and he just stood there speechless, not knowing what to say next after that outburst and seemed confused on what Kaleo had just said and he said, "Why would I say something like that?"

Soon, Kaleo's anger washed away and was replaced with only sadness inside himself and turned away from him, feeling guilty that he yelled at him for no reason and was expected to be yelled back, but to his surprise...it never came. He turned to Musaki and asked, "Aren't you gonna like...yell at me?"

Musaki turned his head sideways and replied, "No. And I never thought you were a trespasser. Not even for a minute."

Kaleo sighed heavily and had no idea that Musaki would never judge or criticize him like that before and he responded, "Why wouldn't you though?"

"I see you have anger problems, but I would never judge you. That's not who I am and I would never do that to anyone I just met." Musaki added.

Kaleo then faced Musaki for a minute and the young lion lets out a sad purr and he said, "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I just...I just don't like it when people see me the wrong way."

Musaki was curious about that statement and he asked, "Why's that?"

Kaleo felt like it was too quick to answer that question and that he didn't want Musaki or anyone else to know about it because he thinks that it might let the others differ their opinion on him and he said, "I don't know if I'm ready to tell you."

Just then, Po comes in the room and he sees that the two of them are having a little moment and he said, "Sorry. Couldn't help but overhear everything."

Kaleo lets out another exhale and he said, "I'm sorry for disrespecting you, Dragon Warrior...and I apologize for my behavior today."

"Eh, it's all right." Po said.

"I guess I just...I was just focusing on my own problem."

Both of them were really curious to see what's the deal with Kaleo and how he's being the way he is and with why he came to the palace to begin with and as Po came in the room, he said, "You can tell us, Kaleo."

"I don't know if I..."

Musaki puts his hand on Kaleo's shoulder and he said, "You can't keep this bottled up forever. We're here to help you."

* * *

Kaleo spills out everything...next!


	7. Secret Revealed

And here's where Kaleo confesses to Musaki and Po. Again, idea pitched by me and Joe 'Po' Navark. Thanks again!

* * *

Chapter 7: Secret Revealed

Kaleo was a little anxious about telling Musaki and Po about how he ended up in the Jade Palace and worries about what will they really think of him when he tells them about his parent's job and all he could do is let out a big sigh and he said, "Can I trust you guys?"

Po lokks over at Kaleo, lets out a smile and replied, "How can we not? We won't tell anyone."

Knowing that they seem easier to talk to, Kaleo finally lets his wall come down and replied, "Okay. You guys really wanna know why I ended up here?"

Po and Musaki sat down on the ground as they were ready to hear what's coming out of Kaleo and both of them nodded their heads as if they're looking forward to hear this. Musaki then asked, "Yeah, like where'd you come from?"

"And how you came here?" asked Po.

Kaleo lets out another deep breath and he starts explaining his story to both of them. He clears his throat and said, "It's a long story, really. You see, back where I came from...I never had an easy life. It was filled with misery, pain and most of all...horrors. My parents were the reason for those three descriptions because they're...they're...they're assassins. All they ever do is go out and kill innocent people in random order and growing up, I watch them stab, bludgeon, murder, kill, harm and poison those who they consider their prey; whether it was elderly, adults and children. The latter part is what disturbs me the most. Every night, I would have nightmares about it, just watching every kid get killed by my parents and I always worry that I might be their next victim. They wanted to pass the mantle onto me when I get older because it's like a 'family business' though no one really knows about it. I've gotten through some rigorous, heavy training to show off my inner fighting side. By the way, I wasn't lying when I told you guys that I'm a decent fighter. But I would never in any given way would use it for killing. And my parents were very strict when it comes to this job, like they expect me to murder everyone in China and that's the part I feared the most because even at a young age, I knew that something like this would get me in trouble and I still do. And there was one day that my parents wanted me to kill 4 innocent little bunnies who were lost and when I looked into their eyes, I can see that they were scared as I was and I refused to do so, but my parents did it themselves as a means to show me that this is how I 'get the job done'. I've always held a long-held hatred for my parents for forcing me into this business to become a future assassin and I know I didn't want that, but my parents would disown me if I rejected that offer. And when my 13th birthday came, my parents wanted me in on it and it was the last straw for me. I turned it down and we had a huge argument about this and...I just ran away. I did not want to take part in this position because something like this would eventually get me in prison. They gave me this black costume to use for being a random killer as a way to represent this business, but I rebelled against it and I sorta...sprayed on the shirt and left it behind. For a whole month, I been roaming around parts of China to find a place where I can live my life in peace without anyone referring to me as a predator, monster, assassin or even a young killer-which is what I've been called in the past growing up-because even though I'm a lion, I would never intend to hurt anyone. Those names left me so angry and bitter, I just didn't know how to control myself. I got so sick of it and I blamed my parents for it. Anyway, by the time I made my journey, a huge snowstorm blew across and it was getting difficult to even move along and that's when I saw this temple high up above somewhere and I felt maybe it'd be a warm place to maybe spend the night and continue to make my way so I just stumbled my way over because it's so cold out there, hoping that I could find refuge and...here I am."

Po and Musaki stared at Kaleo with a stunned expression after hearing Kaleo's explanation and the fact that his parents are trained assassins sickened both of them and they were very concerned with Kaleo being put in the situation and Musaki asked, "Why didn't you tell us that before?"

Kaleo blinked a few times and tried to keep his composure down because after telling the story, he was on the verge of breaking down in tears and replied, "I didn't know how. I was afraid that you guys might judge or criticize me, to get the wrong idea that because I'm a lion, I would kill anyone, but I hate fighting."

That surprised Po the most when he heard the term 'I hate fighting' and he asked, "Why?"

"From the wrong purpose. I don't want to be part of the problem. I just wanna protect people." Kaleo answered.

"Ohhhhhhhh...enough said, buddy." Po said, finally making sense.

Kaleo hung his head down low and Musaki sees the first tear come out of Kaleo's eye and he puts his hand on his shoulder and said, "Well, I think you've come to the right place. And you did the right thing by going against what your parents want you to do."

"Are you sure? I just feel like...I might disappoint them. I can't lead by their example because it's wrong. It's like I'm failing as a son." Kaleo said, sadly.

Po suddenly comes up to him and gives him a huge hug to ease Kaleo's emotional pain that he's been keeping for years and he said, "You're not failing as a son. Your parents have done some bad things, but that doesn't mean you can. And I think it shows that you have strength and enough courage to do what you had to do."

Musaki looks at Kaleo and he said, "And it doesn't matter what they perceive of you. You are who you are, not who your parents are."

Those words seem to stick Kaleo straight to the core and he's never heard anyone say something like that to him in a long time and it was time to hear it anyway and he looks up at both of them and that made him feel a lot better about his situation. And he was also lucky to let someone know about his issues and talk about it.

He turned to both of them and said, "I thought that you guys would judge me since I came here, but...I can see that you're actually helping me out. Thanks for understanding me."

Musaki smiled at him and said, "Anytime."

"And if you ever feel like you need to talk to someone, just come to me or Lil' Saki here and we'll help you out." Po added.

Kaleo nodded his head in agreement at this and it seems as though he's getting used to being here now. And then, Musaki asked, "One more question; what did you mean when you sprayed that shirt your parents gave you?"

"When you're a lion, that's a form of like marking your territory. You just lift up your tail and water sprays out of it." Kaleo explained.

Po suddenly realized what he had meant by that and he asked, "So basically, that's how you..."

"Yep."

Just the thought of that made Po ask him again, "So you pee backwards?"

Kaleo stared at him in a weird, confused-like glare and he said, "Yes...most cats spray their urine backwards because..."

Then, Kaleo whispers something in Po's ear, which then made the Dragon Warrior look puzzled by this and he got really shocked about that and only said, "I see. So, most cats have their guy parts attached to their tails?"

"Pretty much." Kaleo replied.

Then, Po felt like he shouldn't asked him that question and Musaki was a little weirded out by this, but Musaki said, "Looks like I learned something new today."

'I wonder if that's how Tigress' was born like that...if she was a tiger dude.' Musaki thought.

Po gets himself up and decided to depart from the room and he said, "Anyways...we're gonna get off the subject now. Just be strong and be who you are, Kaleo."

Kaleo started smiling at that he said, "Thanks, Po...for listening to me instead of judging me."

"Aw, I would never judge you. You're a cool person. Just let that show more often." Po said, happily.

Kaleo nodded his head at that and he said, "I promise."

"And by the way, Crane's gonna help you out and he's gonna help you with your anger problems." Po added.

Kaleo was a little uncertain about it because dealing with his anger issues might be a little impossible to control, but after letting out his own feelings in the open in front of Po and Musaki, it might be a possible chance. He said, "I guess I'll give it a shot."

"Awesome." Po said, as he left the room.

After that, Kaleo looks at Musaki a little bit and he seemed kinda guilty about disrespecting him and showing him some attitude when he first came here and he said, "Listen, I think we got off on the wrong foot. The reason why I was just a jerk to you is that I thought you might judge me, thinking that you still see me as a trespasser."

Musaki looked at him in the eye and said, "I never saw you as a trespasser. Never did in the first place, actually. And you were kinda rude to me."

"Sometimes my anger gets the best of me. Do you think we can start over again?" asked Kaleo, a little hopeful.

Musaki smiled at him and he replied, "I'd like that."

Kaleo clears his throat, stuck out his paw and he said, "Hey, I'm Kaleo Toshiro."

"I'm Xing-Fu Musaki Ko-Kanji Bushido-Akio Meng Cheng Xi-Wang...but you can call me Musaki for short."

* * *

Things are cool now. Sorry if I made it a little weird. Moving on...


	8. Outraged Parents

We now switch to Kaleo's parents and believe me when they say...they are ticked.

* * *

Chapter 8: Outraged Parents

Meanwhile, far away somewhere in Southern China, Kaleo's parents kept doing their job, going around from village to village to murder, kill and stab random victims and disappear without even being caught, but somehow...they were completely outraged that Kaleo refused to take part in the family business and when they came home, the father was extremely pissed at his son and while his adrenaline was on high, he flipped a table to get his anger out.

He lets out a very angry snarl and paced himself around the ground in a fit of rage and he turned to his wife and said, "I cannot believe that our son had the audacity to go against our wishes!"

His wife came over to him, also very angry at Kaleo and she agreed with her husband and said, "After all we've done for him. We gave him the proper tools, proper training and when we finally got to the point where he's ready, he just throws it all away!"

The thought of it made both parents feel like they wasted their time and energy training their only son to be a killer through the years and the father was ready to add his son to the kill list for defying their expectations and he said, "Well maybe...maybe we should get back at him for rebelling against our family business!"

The father picked up a dagger and threw it around the wall, imaging it to aim at Kaleo and then the wife said, "Let's think about this, Zen. He's been missing for a month and we don't even know where he's run off to."

Zen paced himself once again and then he found something on the map in the wall that they've crossed over the years except for one part in China...one in which he might suspect that's where he might be and he lets out a sinister chuckle and said, "Mai-Yu...there is one place we've never been to before."

She comes up to him and when she took a look at the map, she was surprised to see the location of it and asked, "The Valley of Peace?"

Zen nodded his head with an evil smirk and he said, "Think about it. We've been plotting about this for years; head to the Valley of Peace and do a killing spree. These people will not know what hit them and knowing that we've never striked there...this could be our chance. And that's probably where our son is right now."

"But, Zen...it's a month's journey. Also, I heard that the notorious kung-fu masters live there." Mai-Yu added.

"Let them stop us. We'll strike them down anyway until we find our son." Zen said, with an angry smile on his face.

Mai-Yu was definitely looking forward to this and soon enough, she nuzzled over to her husband and said, "I love it when you talk like that. It's so...sexy."

Zen let out a sinister and sensual chuckle as they put their paws on each other and let out a passionate kiss, where their tongues started dancing around each other's mouths and they figured that the plan was gonna be a piece of cake. Mai-Yu looks over at her husband, stroking his dark mane and said, "When do we pack up?"

They got up and Zen said, "Bring in extra weapons. Anything that's poisonous and also our swords, knives, daggers and the big ax."

Mai-Yu giggles evilly when she was gonna bring in the ax and she said, "The big ax?"

Zen nods his head and then he sticks a little thumbtack on the Valley of Peace on their map and he said, "Kaleo...enjoy your freedom while it lasts because it will be your last."

The he looks at his wife and he said, "We leave first thing tomorrow morning. Get some rest, my love."

Mai-Yu walks over to the bedroom and when they shut off the lights, Zen looks at a picture of Kaleo and he sticks his knife over the picture as a sign that he'll pay for rebelling against their parents wishes to be a future assassin and he whispered, "If you can't be one of us, then maybe you'll be one of our victims. Just you wait...we're coming for you...son."

* * *

Am I good at making a villanous moment or what? More with Kaleo coming up and you'll see his parents later on. Originally it was gonna be a part where they prove their evil love by mating, but I thought it would take the focus away from their plot to get Kaleo and that it would be a little...yick. Moving on...


	9. Another Training Session

And we have another go at Kaleo's training.

* * *

Chapter 9: Another Training Session

As the next day comes in, Kaleo was still new to the routine in the Jade Palace; waking up early to do some training because he considers it too early to start off with, but after a huge breakthrough between him and Musaki, he was able to just go with it. Kaleo gets himself up and walks out of the room and he was surprised to see Shifu standing there before the other students pop out of their room after the morning gong.

"Jeez, where'd you come from?" asked Kaleo, half-surprised, half-groggy.

Shifu could see that he's still kinda grouchy in the mornings and he said, "Good morning to you too, Kaleo."

Kaleo lets out a small sigh as he shakes his head to keep himself awake and he asked, "Where's Musaki?"

"He's outside doing yoga." Shifu answered.

That one simple word seemed to trigger the young cub's mind and he asked, "Yoga?"

"Yes. He's learned how to do yoga when he was only 9 or 10 back when he was a orphan. For someone so young, he handles it like a pro." Shifu said, bewildered.

It sorta intrigued Kaleo that Musaki could do yoga, but it also surprised him that he was also an orphan and never even knew about it since he first stepped in there. He seemed kinda curious to know about this and he asked, "Where is he now?"

"At the Sacred Peach Tree." Shifu answered.

Kaleo immediately heads off towards the hallways to find Musaki and Shifu could definitely see that a young lion cub like Kaleo should give him some more training and he's gonna have plenty things coming in his mind as soon as training starts.

Sacred Peach Tree

Meanwhile, Musaki is sitting on the ground with his legs crossed, eyes closed and taking deep breaths as he was doing his yoga, feeling the flow of the universe coming through to him. Soon enough, he sensed that someone was coming up to either find him or join him and suddenly, when he opens his eyes, he turns around and sees Kaleo standing right behind him.

"Hey, did you wanna join or something?" asked Musaki.

Kaleo came over to him and sat down on all fours as he was astonished by what Musaki was doing and said, "I actually just came to find you."

"Well, here I am." Musaki added.

Musaki gets himself up and looks at Kaleo for a second and then, the young cub's curiosity overshadowed his instinct to keep it out of business and he asked, "How long have you been doing it?"

"About...seven or eight years. My guardians; Brutus and Shakur got me into yoga and have instructed me to kung-fu while I was an orphan. I gotta say they're pretty much like my mentors to me and it's because of them that I'm actually here." Musaki replied.

That widened Kaleo's eyes a little bit and he said, "I wish I could be as good as you. Then, maybe I wouldn't be able to join in my parent's business."

Musaki intended to ask him something regarding to his parents, but after that breakthrough he had with him and Po the other day that he might not get too personal into it and he said, "I'm sure that with a little practice, you'll be just fine."

The Training Hall

Kaleo sat back as he watched Crane keep ahold of his balance in the tortoise and the young cub seemed reluctant to consider trying it again, regarding his first attempt was a failure to start with. Just then, Crane swoops down and goes in front of him and he said, "Let's try this again."

On the inside, Kaleo was kinda nervous but he seemed to be dreading it on the outside as he followed Crane on the way to the Jade Tortoise and once he got there, he could actually feel it moving as if he was gonna fall off at any minute.

"All right, now what you gotta do is try to spar with me without falling down...again." Crane added.

"How do I do that so I won't fall down again?" asked Kaleo.

"Just try not to think about what might happen next or don't lose focus. All you have to do is just do it." Crane replied.

Kaleo was ready to try again so he puts his fists up, goes out to spar with Crane, trying to keep himself from falling down, but with Crane moving around missing some punches, the young cub grew very frustrated that he didn't even punch him out, so he opted to try again only this time, he made a little flip and to his surprise...he didn't fall down.

Crane chuckled softly at this and he said, "Okay, you got it down pat."

For 10 minutes, Crane and Kaleo were sparring with each other while on the tortoise, but each time...Kaleo slips down to the shell and he grows very frustrated and very pissed that he missed and was on the verge of giving up, but Crane refuses to let him do so and continue to keep going, no matter how many times he falls down.

After that, Crane tells him to keep his balance steady that he has to carry a few common items on his head and walk around without letting some of them fall. It grew from books to vases to other several random things and Kaleo feels like his head is about to cave in on him with all of these things as he tried to walk and keep his balance going.

As he tried to prevent them from falling down, Crane could see that he's struggling a little bit on this and he could tell that his form is coming along fine. A little shaky, but it's progressing.

"How's...that?" Kaleo said, in a strained voice.

Crane lets out a little exhale and said, "It's coming along. Your sense of balance is somewhat leveled. Meaning that you do have little balance."

"Well, that makes it all better." Kaleo said, in a sarcastic tone.

Later on, Tigress and Shifu opted to help Kaleo control his temper by turning to kung-fu, although he hates fighting, he has no other choice but to do so. Tigress went ahead first showing him a basic stance where she does a side kick to the air and when he tried to do it, he slipped and fell on his butt. Kaleo lets out a low growl for not getting it right and he tried it again numerous times, still to no success.

That pissed him off a little but Tigress grabbed a hold of his fist and he said, "It happens all the time. I used to be that way when I didn't get it the first time."

Kaleo lets out an angry sigh and said, "Well, how do I control myself without losing my cool?"

Shifu lets out a little sigh and said, "Sometimes, I ask Tigress that same question every year."

Tigress groans at that remark Shifu made and he said, "Try this again, only this time...don't get too angry."

Musaki scoffs at her suggestion and he said, "Easy for you to say."

Tigress glared at Musaki for a second and he walks off, trying not to intrude their business and then, she turned to Kaleo and said, "Just do what I do."

Tigress puts in every move in the book to show Kaleo what he can do and some he succeeded and some he ultimately not so much succeeded, but still tried to keep his cool down no matter how hard it can get. An hour has passed on and Kaleo got it down pat almost and when it came time for a test run, both Tigress and Kaleo sparred with each other and surprisingly, Tigress was impressed by Kaleo's efforts to keep it going and continued sparring with him when all of a sudden...

A light white-blue orb came out of him and plowed through Tigress and slammed her into the wall and the others gasped in shock at what he had did and even Kaleo was frightened by what he had done and thought he might've injured her by accident.

When she got up, Kaleo quickly went over to her and apologized numerous times and luckily for him, there was no injury or marks near her. She looked at him and asked, "What was that?"

"I-I-I-I-I don't know. I-I-I...I-I don't know where that came from." Kaleo said, stumbling words again.

He was afraid that she might get mad at him for that, but instead...she was impressed with the fact that he's got something in him and she said, "That was really awesome!"

Suddenly, everyone's jaw dropped to the ground when they heard Tigress say 'awesome' for the first time and Po said, "Hey, that's my line! Only I can say awesome!"

Shifu looked up at Kaleo and he said, "Sounds like you might be fitting for a kung-fu master in your future."

Kaleo chuckled softly at that and figured that was a compliment given by Master Shifu and he's never been one to receive compliments most of his life and he said, "Thanks...I guess."

"All right students. That's enough training for today. You're dismissed." Shifu said.

* * *

Was that cool or what? Plenty more on your way!


	10. Yoga Training

Now it's Musaki's turn to be the master for Kaleo...yoga training.

* * *

Chapter 10: Yoga Training

Not long after the training session, Kaleo walks around the Jade Palace and he couldn't stop thinking about that orb that came out of him, accidently aiming at Tigress and wanted to find out what it was. Even though he was half-successful on his training, he still needed to keep his anger issues under control and how to remove the feelings of bitter resentment towards his parents. What bothers him is that while he told Po and Musaki about it, he wasn't quite sure how he'll ever tell the others about his parent's job. He's got a lot of anxiety and fear coming into him and he tries to keep his head straight and try not to think about it too much.

"Kaleo?"

Kaleo was soon startled by that voice and when he turned around, he saw Shifu standing there and he puts his paw over his chest to prevent himself getting a heart attack and he shouted, "Don't do that!"

Shifu then took out his flute and whacked Kaleo in the head of it and he let out a huge roar of pain coming out of him and he shouted, "What the hell was that for?"

Then, Shifu whacked him in the head again, in which Kaleo shouted once again and then Shifu answered, "That's for raising your voice at the master and the second part...we don't allow cursing in this palace."

Kaleo rubbed his head as hard as he could to ease the feeling of Shifu's wooden flute in him and he lets out a sharp groan and said, "You could've told me that."

Shifu looks at him in the eye and not long after that, he could sense that something else might be bothering him and he asked, "Are you feeling all right? You seemed troubled."

Kaleo knew that Shifu was right; something is troubling him, but he was able to hide the fact that he didn't want him to know about it and he said, "I'm fine. I'm...just a little tired."

Shifu wasn't buying that for a quick second and he was feeling something else other than exhaustion and it's still early in the day and he asked, "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Yeah, I'm cool." Kaleo lied.

As Kaleo walked away, Shifu was still unconvinced that nothing was wrong with Kaleo and that it was something that he does not want to know about, but sooner or later, the grandmaster is gonna find out eventually.

Meanwhile, Kaleo made his way to the Sacred Peach Tree to just escape and avoid anyone diving into his personal issues that he might keep to himself because he's afraid of how he'll handle the reaction when he tells them that his parents are assassins.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Kaleo then turns around and he sees Musaki coming from behind and he took a big exhale and said, "Sorry. I...I thought you were someone else."

Musaki rolled his eyes at that comment and then, he sits down next to him and said, "You must really like the Sacred Peach Tree. It's really a good spot to just get away from everything and just surround yourself in quietness."

Kaleo was lost in whatever Musaki just said and then he asked, "Translation?"

"Like you just want to get away from training and other things or make an excuse to come here." Musaki added.

"Oh, I see." Kaleo said.

Musaki smiled and also turned to Kaleo and said, "It's also known for a little yoga training."

Kaleo was still intrigued on how Musaki did yoga because he saw some parts of it early and he asked, "Can you show me a few things?"

Musaki was surprised to hear that Kaleo is taking interest in yoga and soon enough, he asked, "Are you sure about this? It's not something you do overnight because it takes years and years to master it."

"I've been through enough crap in my entire life and I hope that I can gain some peace inside of me. Can you teach me how?" Kaleo asked.

Musaki was reluctant to show Kaleo a few things about yoga because he knows that if he doesn't master it well, his anger problems might increase to the inth degree, but from the look in Kaleo's face, it seems as though he might need it bad. He then smiles at Kaleo and replied, "I'll show you everything I know."

A few seconds later...

Musaki sits down with his legs crossed and hands on his side and Kaleo does the same and he said, "Just close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. And above all...clear your head of all thoughts."

Kaleo did as he said as he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, but he finds it a little hard to clear his head of all thoughts because most of those involve a little bit of anxiety inside of them, but tried to shake it off anyway. Just then, Musaki gets up and then Kaleo opens his eyes and finds Musaki standing up and Kaleo stands up too, wondering what happens next.

"Okay, stretch your arms wide."

Kaleo stretched his arms wider and he felt a little strain coming in and he sees Musaki put his foot in his other leg and that's a big challenge for the young lion to do so, but managed to do it anyway. He starts panting heavily and not a couple of seconds later, he slips and fell down to the ground.

Kaleo lets out a furious growl after falling down on the ground and Musaki comes in to calm him down a bit and Kaleo shouted, "How do you do this? This is too hard for me!"

"Don't beat yourself up, man. I was a little frustrated too when I did it the first time. It just takes practice and in yoga...it helps you clear the mind, calm yourself down and it relieves some anger or stress in you." Musaki explained.

Kaleo sighed heavily at this and he said, "Easy for you to say."

"It's okay. Let's just try it again."

Kaleo gets himself up and tries to re-do this again and it was still hard for him, but Musaki helps him out in case he gets mad that he misses it it or any other yoga tricks. The more he received help from Musaki, the more calm he becomes and more determined to get it right.

Musaki taught him the warrior pose, the tree pose, stretching his arms, legs, belly and butt...although Kaleo finds raising his butt to be a little weird. And both of them start to lean on the front and on the left and right side of their bodies to get all the stress out of their system and sooner or later, Kaleo got it down pat and he sees himself more relaxed after those yoga moves.

Musaki was definitely impressed with how Kaleo got it so quickly and how he managed to deal with his temper issues. He looks up at him and said, "You've got this down to a science."

Kaleo looks at what he's done and he couldn't believe that most of them started out as hard but becomes much more easier when Musaki helps him out or corrects it if he messes up a little instead of criticizing. He chuckled softly and said, "Wow. I did, didn't I?"

"And it only took us about an hour and a half to do so. And for the final touch...we breathe in and out again."

Kaleo stares at Musaki, confused-like as if they're doing it again and he asked, "Didn't we already do that?"

"In yoga, it begins with breathing and it ends with breathing after the yoga tricks. That shows that you can keep yourself at ease during the day." Musaki explains.

Kaleo nodded his head in understanding and they both sat down, crossed their legs and closed their eyes and breathed in and out to relieve every ounce of stress they have and for the first time, Kaleo definitely felt relaxed and thanks to Musaki, he's forgotten about what he was angry about, which was new for him because he kept some things that has been bottled up inside of him for years.

Kaleo opens his eyes and feels the wind blowing through his fur and he lets out a relaxed sigh and gets himself up and said, "That was a great session."

Musaki opens his eyes, lets out a smile as well and said, "Well, hey...you got me as a master of yoga for a short time."

"I guess I do."

* * *

How awesome is that? Kaleo and Musaki doing yoga? We got plenty more on the way!


	11. Kaleo's Horrific Surprise

This chapter sets two weeks after Kaleo stumbled onto the Jade Palace and by the end of this chapter, you will receive a surprise.

* * *

Chapter 11: Kaleo's Horrific Surprise

Over the course of two weeks since Kaleo stepped foot in the Jade Palace, he's been progressing a lot in his training, despite some rocky positions in regards to his temper. Tigress and Musaki have been training him how to control his anger issues with kung-fu and with their moves, Kaleo was able to contribute to them, but with each time he screws up, Kaleo gets a little irritated and frustrated, but Musaki's way to helping him is to calm himself down and re-do what he worked on again, in which Tigress sees it as how to control his temper, which is something she might learn from him.

Crane also helped with Kaleo as well by sparring him in the Jade Tortoise and try to keep him balanced well. Kaleo developed a level of respect for Crane because he sees him as the only person to balance everything out for him and try to keep him level-headed. Crane was growing more patient with Kaleo when he gets upset and calmly diffuses it just by trying it again. It was difficult for Kaleo, but he's already garnered much respect for him since he let some of his anger fizzle away.

When he sparred with him, Kaleo was still focused and continues to grow more and more better than ever and he was definitely learning a lot from him and when he succeeded, Kaleo felt very proud of himself that he kept himself under control and Crane bowed to him and Kaleo did the same.

He also gained more trust from Musaki and Po and often times, Kaleo would go to them if they ever need to talk about anything, whether it's a problem or if it's just company. Outside of the training hall, he sees them as the first friends he's ever had in a long time.

But sometimes...he worries about what might happen if the other masters find out about his parent's jobs. It would mean that he'll be turned away again like in the past. As Kaleo walks towards the hallways of the barracks, Po walks up and he notices the young cub feeling a little down and he asked, "What's wrong, buddy?"

Kaleo let out a very anxious sigh and he looks at Po in the eyes and said, "I'm just worried about how the others will react when they find out about my parents."

Po was completely unsure of what might happen, given that his parents are assassins and he asked, "Where you're from, do they tell the others about it?"

"No. Assassins are private jobs. If anyone finds out, they'll get put in jail for murder. No one is supposed to know about that." Kaleo explained.

Po could sense Kaleo's growing anxiety seeping through his mind and they enter into Po's room for a second to let Kaleo address his feelings about it. Po sits down on the ground and asked, "How long have you been feeling miserable about your parents?"

Kaleo lets out a heavy sigh about this and he replied, "All my life. From the first time that I saw my parents murder innocent people, I knew then that this was wrong. And...I've been resenting them for killing so many random people that never even did anything to them."

Po lets out another sigh and said, "That's gotta be hard for you."

"It has. I hate them."

Po was shocked to hear this come out of Kaleo to say that he hates his own parents and it was sad for him to hear him say it because he's be feeling this way for the longest time and he said, "Why do you say that?"

"I just do. Because killing people is their job and every night, I would hear people cry and scream while my parents murder them. They call it the 'Late Night Murder Spree.' Most of the victims were adults while the other ones are kids. It's just really, really messed up and I just couldn't bear listening in helplessly." Kaleo explained.

It made Po's heart drop down to hear that his parents would kill children and he's angry at the fact that they'd murder innocent kids and told him, "Listen, if they ever come around the Valley of Peace, I would not let them murder any kids around here. Not as long as the Dragon Warrior is around."

Kaleo was getting worried for Po about facing his parents if they come over and said, "They'll kill anyone that stands in their way."

"If it means rescuing those kids, I would be glad to do it."

Kaleo is still saddened about the memories he endured as a younger cub being tormented and being name-called which still bothers him a lot and he said, "That's not the only thing that I had to deal with. Some of the kids who were never killed look at me and see me as a monster, a beast, a predator and a young assassin and I'm not one of those things. I would never hurt or kill anyone. My temper does get me in trouble, but I would never intent to do any harm to anyone."

Po puts his hand on Kaleo's shoulder and he gave him a hug and Kaleo's eyes were filled up with tears as he let one fall down on Po's shoulder and he said, "Kaleo...you are who you are. Just be you and if your parents don't like it, then too bad for them. They're missing out on a great person who would be an example of doing the right thing."

"I just want to be accepted, you know? I just wanna...feel like I'm not what they expect me to be." kaleo said, in between tears.

Po could easily identify with Kaleo's personal issue because he felt the same way when he first became Dragon Warrior and he told him, "Don't worry so much about what other people think. All you have to do is just stay true to yourself and don't let anyone tell you any differently."

Kaleo found it much easier to talk to Po and he's never opened up to anyone before until this moment and he said, "Thanks, Po."

The next day, Mai-Yu and Zen were wandering around the forest in search of Kaleo and they brought in their weapons, just in case someone tries to stop them immediately and not long after, they seek a huge palace in front of them and as they looked down, they could see a little village right above them and when Mai-Yu looked at the map, they saw that they've made their destination to the Valley of Peace.

Mai-Yu looks at her husband and she said, "Zen...this is it."

Just then, Zen looks over and he lets out an evil smile and sinister chuckle as he saw that they made it to the Valley of Peace and said, "Excellent."

Meanwhile, Po and Musaki took Kaleo around to see what the Valley of Peace looks like and the young cub has never seen anything like this before, but he was also afraid that other people would look at him and see him as a predator. Musaki immediately sensed it right away and he said, "Don't worry so much. No one's gonna stare at you."

Kaleo tried to keep those thoughts out of his head and just continue on with their day, but as soon as they walked into the bridge, out comes two figures walking their way and they stopped for a minute as if they didn't know who they are or if they're planning to stir up trouble.

When they stopped, Po got on his fighting stance and Musaki did the same and both of them asked, "Who are you?"

"We came for you, Kaleo."

Kaleo recognized someone's voice come out and that was something he was afraid of hearing.

"Dad?"

* * *

SURPISE! It's Kaleo's parents and let me tell ya, this ain't no good ol' family reunion! And on the next chapter, there will be some action.


	12. Confrontation Fight

Left ya waiting for this! This chapter; action, drama...the awesomeness! This may cause violence and some language.

* * *

Chapter 12: Confrontation Fight

Soon enough, the two hooded figures unveiled themselves and to Kaleo's shock, it indeed is his parents. He grew furious and ultimately ticked that they would come over unannounced and his parents sensed a little fear when he met Musaki and Po, assuming that they know about their private job already and Zen comes over to Kaleo and asked, "Who are they?"

"That's Po and Musaki." Kaleo answered, without any emotion.

Musaki took a glance at Kaleo's parents for the first time and he could sense that they're carrying in some serious weapons and asked, "You do realize you've stepped on the wrong valley, right?"

Zen growls at Musaki as if he's insulting him on purpose and he said, "Do you know who the hell I am?"

Musaki stuck out his sais close to Zen's place and said, "No, but I know you love to murder innocent people."

Suddenly, Zen finds that Musaki already knew about that and he turns his attention to Kaleo and lets out an angry snarl and asked, "You told them?"

Kaleo didn't say anything about it, but Zen already knew his answer and that they might've been exposed already and then Mai-Yu comes in and said, "We're taking you back home right now!"

"I'm not going anywhere with you!" Kaleo shouted, his anger coming back in.

Both parents were appalled by the young cub's defiance and Kaleo growls at them, almost as if he wants to fight them, but he stood there, growling in complete anger...which he's kept that inside of him for so long and Zen did not care what his son had to say. He walks over to him and punches Kaleo in the face and Musaki comes over to his aide while Po walks over to Kaleo's parents and said, "Leave him alone!"

Mai-Yu looks over at Po and she soon figures out that this is the Dragon Warrior and she lets out cruel laugh, almost in disbelief to think that a panda could be a kung-fu master and Zen looks over and said, "So this is the Dragon Warrior? I thought that this would be some scary warrior, not a fatass panda."

Po grew furious about that remark Zen made and suddenly, he comes over to them and shoved him down with his belly, which sent him hurtling through the ground and suddenly, Zen comes charging after him and Po punched him straight in the face and kicks him in the mouth.

Mai-Yu suddenly went from disbelief to completely mortified that despite the panda's side, he's the real thing. Zen groans heavily and gets himself up and he stood in front of a very pissed-off Dragon Warrior and he cracks his neck and growls at him for provoking him to attack.

"Get this straight, buddy. I'm not a fatass panda. I am _**the **_fatass panda." Po said, in a menacing tone.

Mai-Yu came over to him and she quickly wanted to end this immediately and went by her husband's side and said, "Enough of this foolishness! Either you bring our son back to us or we'll kill every single person in this accursed valley!"

Musaki then went over to Po's side and twirled his sais around and said, "Not on your life. Kaleo's not going anywhere with you."

Zen roars loudly at them and he wasted no time charging at both of them as he drew his sword out to stab Musaki, but Po yanks Zen's tail and throws him into a wall and kicks him in the face while Mai-Yu comes over to murder Musaki, using her claws to scratch him up, but unbeknownst to her, Musaki heads right behind her and kicks her tail, causing the lioness to roar in pain.

"And I thought Tigress was a pain in the tiger tail." Musaki added.

Mai-Yu punched Musaki in the nose and fell down on the ground, groaning heavily and suddenly, she comes over with an ax to take him down, but Kaleo leaped up to her and pinned her down to the ground, snarling at her.

"You leave Musaki alone!" Kaleo shouted.

Mai-Yu shoved her son out of her and she was pissed that he took Musaki's side and said, "How dare you do this to your own mother!"

Kaleo growled at her and said, "I don't give a damn about you or dad! I will never come back home with you guys!"

Zen struggles to attack Po, but Po's got him on butt lock down and he couldn't help but overhear what Kaleo said and he said, "You better show some respect to your mother! You will come back to us, you will be an assassin and that is final!"

"Never!" Kaleo spat out.

Just then, Zen grabs Po's arms and throws him aside the street and lands on Musaki's back, causing Musaki to groan ever more loudly than ever. Zen comes over to Kaleo and knocks him down, then scratched his face with his claws, which made the young cub cry out in pain.

"KALEO!" Po and Musaki shouted.

Kaleo looks up at his parents with a scar on his left face and he started panting heavily, but didn't seem fazed about what his dad did to him. Mai-Yu brought in her sword and planned to use it to stab Kaleo with it and she said, "We should've known that you had the nerve to disavow our duties and to tell them about what we do."

"I am well aware of the risks. But murdering people is wrong." Kaleo added.

Zen could not believe what he was hearing; his own son stating that killing is wrong and he growls at him and just kicks him down on the ground, which made Musaki very pissed off.

"What kind of parents would encourage their own son to kill innocent people for no reason? What have they ever done to you?" Musaki shouted.

Zen growls at Musaki for a second and he said, "Because those people do not know how we feel and they see us as monsters! We've been discriminated, tossed aside and hated by every villager in China because of the fact that we're lions. Then one day...my wife and I snapped at the world, thinking that if they think we're monsters, then we'll just make them believe it and we decided the best way possible is to get even. We've been assassin vigilantes for a mere period of over 25 years. And we hoped that we'd pass it onto our son...to which he would've been everything he wanted to be. But instead he gave it all up because of you people!"

Kaleo roared at his dad and he angrily shouted, "NO! I did not want to be a murderer growing up!"

Mai-Yu slapped him in the face, assuming that it's a lie and said, "You're a liar! Don't you know that we want what is best for you? We've worked blood, sweat and countless toil to give you the life we were gonna give you and you just throw it all away!"

"I only threw it all away because I don't wanna spend the rest of my life carrying on your stupid business! And you only wanted what was best for you!" Kaleo shouted, with much anger and venom he could spit out.

Both of his parents were shocked and appalled to hear this come out of Kaleo and he continued on saying, "Well, I'm not you and I will never be you!"

Zen had had enough of Kaleo's defiance and said, "You're coming home with us right now!"

Kaleo growls at him and said, "I am home."

"You tell them, Kaleo!" Musaki cheered out.

Both of them got up and they were ready to fight them again and Zen growls at them and said, "You leave us no choice."

Both of them went ahead and charged them again while Zen took out Musaki and Po took down Mai-Yu and both of them were planning to kill both pandas, but Po punched, kicked and butt-flipped Mai-Yu down a notch while Musaki sword-fought with Zen and tripped on the middle-aged lions' leg, letting out a sarcastic 'oops.'

Just then, Zen was about to go straight to killing Musaki, but Kaleo pushed him down to the ground and threw him to the other side of the valley and Mai-Yu ws about to beat up Kaleo for that, but Po grabbed her by the tail and threw her over the same way.

Kaleo panted heavily as he looked at both of them and asked, "You guys okay?"

Musaki nodded his head and replied, "Are you?"

"Yeah, I am now."

Suddenly, Zen comes back quickly and growls at all three of them and he could tell that Kaleo wasn't going anywhere and he said, "So this is how it's gonna be? This is not over! You will regret your defiance, son!"

Kaleo spat at his dad's face and said, in an angry tone, "Go to hell...father."

Zen was highly offended by that statement Kaleo made and that made him more infuriated than ever and he said, "Rest assured, we will be back to finish the job!"

He walks off and then Musaki went over and said, "We'll be there and we'll take you down...and your little lioness too!"

A couple of minutes later, all three of them walked back to the Jade Palace and as soon as they opened the doors, they were surprised to see Master Shifu standing in front of them, almost as if he knew something and he said, "Heard about the fight earlier. Kaleo...do you have something to tell us...about your parents?"

Kaleo could already sense that Shifu knows about his parent's jobs and he thought to himself, 'I'm so dead.'

* * *

Man, am I good with cliffhangers or what? Next up, Kaleo spills everything...this time to Shifu and the Five! This is gonna be a doozy! Also, sorry for my sudden hiatus. You may wonder why I posted three chapters today...because chapter 10 was meant to be posted Monday and chapter 11 was meant to be posted Tuesday and then chapter 12 today...so I decided to make up for it by posting all three of them today just to fill in the gaps. But worry not! I've spent most of that majority writing a new fic that will be posted a week from tomorrow. It's still in progress, but I'll post the first chapter of that one pretty soon. Oh...and by the way, I'm BAAAAAAA-AAAAAAACK! (laughs) I always wanted to do that. AniUniverse is biz-ack!


	13. Kaleo's Confession

Here's where Kaleo's confession seeps in. He finally tells the masters about his parents.

* * *

Chapter 13: Kaleo's Confession

Soon enough, the rest of the Furious Five gathered around the Hall of Warriors and Shifu had his eyes on Kaleo, completely waiting to get an answer out of him and about what had happened during that fight earlier. A very nervous and fearful Kaleo stood over towards him and asked, "How much did you actually know?"

Shifu stared at him deeply and replied, "I can sense it...even when I'm not around. And tell me something...why did your parents come to fight you?"

Kaleo didn't want to even answer that question because he's scared to see how the rest of them will react when he tells them about their day job and he said, "That's something I don't wanna talk about."

Shifu wasn't buying that for one second and he said, "Then let me answer this question...why didn't you tell us your parents are assassins?"

That shocked the Five the most after this came out to hear that Kaleo's parents are assassins and Tigress looked over at Kaleo and asked, "Is that true?"

The look in Tigress' face, one of anger and fury, completely brought fear into Kaleo and he was afraid that if he told her, she would have to kill him as well and he bit his bottom lip and slowly gave out a nod. Tigress could tell that this was something secretive that he'd been keeping for a long time and she asked, "And why didn't you tell us this before?"

Kaleo sighs heavily and he said, "I didn't quite know how to tell you all and I was just scared...that you'd see me as one of them and that you thought I would actually kill you."

Monkey then went over to Kaleo and he asked, "Were you planning to kill us?"

That seemed to anger Kaleo after that question and he replied, "NO! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no freakin' way! Why would I want to do that? I've already gone through enough grief with people accusing me to participate with my parent's crimes! So don't you ever, ever, EVER say that I am a killer because I am not nor will I ever be one! So get it through your thick skull, damn it!"

Everything grew silent from there after Kaleo's outburst and Po and Musaki were the only ones that didn't seem to be that surprised nor shocked about this because they were kinda expecting it. The others however stared at Kaleo as if that question was too personal for him and that it drove him over the edge and Monkey stared at him and said, "Sorry I asked."

Kaleo took a deep breath and calmed himself down a little and said, "Sorry I yelled. It's just...I get so sick of my parents forcing me to join in their little family business to kill people nonstop. You don't know what it's like to watch innocent people getting killed, stabbed, slaughtered, cut into pieces, burned, scarred, eaten alive and other things all your life and helplessly watch them when you could've done something to stop it."

Shifu went over to Kaleo and asked, "What concerns me is that why didn't you tell us all of it before."

"Because you wouldn't understand." Kaleo replied, turning away from Shifu.

Viper went over to Kaleo and she asked him, "What wouldn't we understand? Just tell us so we'll help."

Kaleo let out a heavy sigh and replied, "You see, assassins are like private jobs. No one really knows about it that much because they just come and go. Most of the families of the victims don't know who caused those murders to happen or why they have a reason to do so. When I was growing up, I used to watch them kill hundreds of people and it always scared me deeply to see that and my parents wanted me to be like them, so they put me through training, like give me fighting skills but use them for murder. I was immensely fearful of what would happen if I was put in that position and when I was seven or so...they put me through a test where I have to kill some innocent little bunny rabbits while they were killing the parents. I never wanted to do any harm to them because they were as afraid as I was, so I refused and my parents killed them as well, thinking that this is 'what I should do'. There was so much pressure and strife going on between me and my parents and they told me that I should join in on the day I turned 13 because that's where it begins. I already knew in my heart that I shouldn't participate in something like this and even though I was younger, I also knew then that it's wrong. It's just wrong to kill people even if it's someone you don't know. When my 13th birthday came a few weeks ago, my parents expected me to join in and I finally said no to their faces and ran away from them. Sometimes I ask myself why did I ever do that, but I also know that I did the right thing. I often ask myself, did I ever do the right thing? I was gonna find a place where I could move on with my life and leave it all behind...and you guys know the story."

Suddenly, it all made sense. The reason he stumbled across the Jade Palace was to get away from his parents after refusing to enter into the world of murder and something that his parents wanted him to do something he will regret later in life. Viper then wrapped herself around Kaleo, giving him a hug and said, "I believe you have done the right thing, Kaleo."

Hearing this story made Tigress feel sorry for Kaleo and she was angry at the parents for forcing this kid to go to a life of killing and she said, "At first I thought you were just a trespasser, but after hearing this...I was wrong to think that way."

Musaki gasped in shock after hearing the words 'Tigress was wrong' and he said, "I knew it! I knew it! I knew one day you'd admit that you were wrong about something! On a more personal note, I called it."

Tigress snarled at Musaki for his relentless gloating and then she said to Kaleo, "You followed your conscience and that means that you're doing something that's right."

Shifu then went over to him and said, "I'm just angered that your parents would want you to do something like this. They should take examples from you."

"And since when is it for parents to encourage their kids to murder people? That's screwed up, don't ya think?" asked Mantis.

Kaleo agreed with Mantis and he also said, "That's just how my parents are. They'll murder anyone who gets in their way and I think that's why they came back for me...to either come home with them or suffer the consequences."

Musaki went over to Kaleo and he said, "When they come back, they will be their own victims."

"Musaki, we don't want to kill them. We want to make sure that even though they're unstoppable, so are we."

Kaleo started to worry about their safety and he knows that his parents will strike them down with every chance they'll get if they're in their way and said, "My parents would kill you guys without warning if you get in their way. Besides, if anyone's gonna stop them, it's gonna be me."

"Kaleo, you have to let us help you. If we don't, then there's a possibility that they're gonna kill everyone in the entire Valley of Peace." Po exclaimed.

At that point, it brought it on everyone's thoughts and figured that before Kaleo's parents could claim what's theirs, they'll kill anyone in the entire Valley and Shifu said, "We must warn everyone to evacuate the Valley because they might come back sooner or later."

Musaki pulls out his sais and said, "If the parents do show up, we need to prepare ourselves for the worst-case scenario in the history of worst-case scenarios."

"Musaki's correct. We must train as hard as we can and get ourselves ready." Shifu said, sternly.

Kaleo still had his doubts, but all of that washed away when he heard that they're gonna be ready to take them down and for Kaleo...he's gonna give out what he's kept inside of him for years. When he looked at them, he could tell that there's a sense of unity coming in and he likes that vibe around.

'You guys are good people here.' Kaleo thought.

Meanwhile...

Mai-Yu and Zen looked over the entire Valley of Peace and Zen thought up of a devious plot and said, "My dear...if Kaleo doesn't come to us, then we're gonna make him come."

Mai-Yu stares at her husband and she asked, "What's that?"

"We kill the entire Valley and then we'll come and kill Kaleo and his little friends." Zen said, holding out his sword.

The lioness comes over to him and she said, "Perfect idea. We strike in two days."

Zen chuckled maliciously at that concept and he brings in his sword and throws it at the ground and said, "You'll get what's coming to you...son."

* * *

This is the pre-drama and pre-action! Stay tuned for the actual ones!


	14. Emergency Alert

And the drama begins!

* * *

Chapter 14: Emergency Alert

Not long after all of this, in comes Zeng popping out of nowhere and he comes in panicked and exhausted and Shifu runs over to Zeng and he somehow noticed a little scar coming in his left wing and he asked, "Zeng, what happened?"

Zeng pants heavily and he was definitely shaken by what had happened and he said, "Two murderers...almost got me. Both of them almost sliced off my wing."

Kaleo was mortified by hearing this and he could tell that it was his parents' work that was the cause of it and Shifu asked, "Who did this to you?"

"There was a lion and a lioness hiding in one of the forests near the Valley of Peace and I overheard them saying that they're coming for their son in 2 days and they'll murder anyone who gets in the way!" Zeng exclaimed.

All of them were in panic mode and they could tell that they only have 2 days until they get Kaleo and not only that, but they'll start off by murdering anyone in the valley if they interfere and Kaleo definitely feels a huge amount of anxiety coming in and he said, "They're coming for me, aren't they?"

Just then, Zeng turns around and he walks over to the young lion and he said, "I'm afraid so."

Kaleo lets out a heavy sigh and replied, "I knew it. They'll stop at nothing to get rid of me just for going against their tradition."

Tigress went towards Kaleo and she said, "If they get rid of you, they'll have to get through us first."

Kaleo couldn't quite grasp on why they would protect someone that they know for two weeks and didn't expect someone to say it like that and he asked, "Why would you though? You guys barely know me."

"Because loyalty is what we do here in the Jade Palace. We have a sense of unity and we're not just warriors, but we are family." Viper answered.

"We stand together through good and bad...mostly bad, but you get the idea." Monkey added.

"And we will do anything in our power to protect the people we care about, whether if it's someone in the street or whoever. We help out to those in need." Musaki said.

The look in everyone else's faces made Kaleo feel like he could most likely rely on and that they're always there to protect those who are weak and innocent with their strength. He said to them, "I've never had anyone actually stand beside me. Most of them would just run away or have nothing to do with me or care less about me."

Po puts his hand on Kaleo's shoulder and he said, "We help them in any way possible. That's what made us the warriors we are today."

"Students, we have 2 days to prepare, so we need to order everyone in the Valley to evacuate the premises and train as hard as we can until the big battle comes in." Shifu said.

"Yes, master!" they all exclaimed.

"In the meantime...Po, make sure Zeng heads over to the doctor's to see if his wing might need taken care of."

Po walks over to Zeng and carries him towards the doctors and Shifu thought to himself, 'Hang in there, Zeng.'

10 minutes later...

Po, Shifu, Musaki, Kaleo and the Five all headed towards the Valley and soon enough, Musaki brought in his flute and as soon as they assembled, Musaki makes a little bass sound for his flute that's loud enough to hear to garner everyone's attention. The masters were surprised that something like this would come in handy.

"What was that?" asked Tigress, surprisedly.

Musaki turns around and shows her his flute and he replied, "New sound for my flute. Not just for music."

As much as Shifu was impressed with that emergency note Musaki made, he turned his attention to the citizens and said, "Listen, everyone. We've come here to bring you some bad news. We were informed by Zeng that there are two murderers coming in to our valley in 2 days. So you all need to gather your children, gather everything you have and evacuate the Valley immediately. And do not worry about us because we will do what we do best to keep this valley safe."

All the villagers grew concerned and fearful to hear that there might be murderers coming into the Valley and almost immediately, they spread around gathering as much as they needed to escape for their safety and their lives as well. Only 6 minutes passed and as the masters were about to head back to the palace, Mr. Ping walks in with his stuff and ran up to Po and said, "Hurry, son! We must leave at once!"

Po got down to his dad's level and he said, "You go ahead, dad. I'm gonna stay and fight."

It horrified Mr. Ping to see his own panda son fighting two murderers and fears that he might get murdered in the process and he hugged his son tightly and said, "Please, don't do this! I cannot bear to lose you!"

It really broke Po's heart to see his dad clinging onto his only son for dear life and when he saw the first tear rolling down his dad's face, he told him, "Dad, I'll be fine. I'll never leave you behind...I promise."

"The last thing I would want is to see my own son die by a murderer." Mr. Ping sobbed.

Just then, Tigress puts her hand on Po's shoulder and told him, "We gotta get going, Po."

Po turns to his dad and said, "I gotta go. But I promise you that I'll be okay."

Po picks his dad up and hugged him tightly as if it would be the last one ever and whispered, "I love you, dad."

"I love you too, son."

He sets him down and with one last look, Po heads back to the palace and Tigress comes over to Mr. Ping and she said, "Your son will be fine. I'll make sure of that. Right now, it's important of you to think about your own safety."

As Tigress was set to walk away, Mr. Ping puts his wing around her hand and asked, "Can you promise me that you'll keep my boy safe?"

Tigress had a growing effect on Po because she became so close to him and have become friends for a short period of time and ever since the events in Gongmen City, they were much closer than ever and she knows that she would do anything for him and she turns to him and said, "I promise. He'll be fine before you say noodles."

Tigress heads off with the others and Mr. Ping stood there, watching as the others head back to the palace with Po on his mind. But he also knew that the longer he stood, the better chance he might be killed and he sets off with the other villagers to evacuate the Valley.

'Be careful, Po.' Mr. Ping thought.

At the training hall, all eight of the students started a very intense training to prep themselves for a huge battle heading their way and Kaleo planned to go above the extra mile to take his parents down and he showed off his fighting skills he learned and realized that he can only use them for good instead of his parents' expectations.

2 days have passed and both Mai-Yu and Zen were heading their way to the Valley of Peace and they were surprised to see that it's all empty and then as they saw the Jade Palace, they knew that they can find their prey...their son Kaleo.

"We're here, Kaleo...and this time, there's no turning back." Zen said, evilly.

* * *

The calm before the storm is brewing!


	15. Face to Face

Sorry if I made this short.

* * *

Chapter 15: Face-to-Face

All of the masters gathered in front of the Jade Palace to await the arrival of Kaleo's parents coming in to confront them face to face and Kaleo seemed like he was gonna get them back for all the times he had to endure being suffered by the pressures of expecting to be in their business of being murderers, but after refusing to do so and knowing fully that they're gonna pull out all the stops to confront them, he's ready to give them all the misery they caused him.

Musaki looked over at Kaleo and from the looks in his face, he's ready for hell to come over and he said, "Waiting for this a long time, have you?"

"11 years I've have to put up with their crimes and watch them kill people one-by-one and wanting me to be a part of it. I was glad I ran away from them." Kaleo said, while gritting his teeth.

Just then, the palace door opens and they were bracing themselves for the worst-case scenario that was gonna occur any second and just as they came up the stairs, they unveiled themselves and stared down at Kaleo.

"Son." Zen said, angrily.

"Murderer." Kaleo spat back.

Mai-Yu gasped at that and she growls at him and said, "Watch your mouth, young man! When we take you home, you're gonna be in big trouble!"

Musaki stepped in front of them and said, "Like hell you will! He's not going anywhere with you!"

Zen growls at Musaki and it was their second time that they faced each other yet again and said, "Puny little panda!"

"Cold-blooded assassinator." Musaki said, coldly.

Shifu went over to both of them and he said, "How can you both convince your own son to kill innocent people? Have you no common sense at all?"

"That's none of your business, rat!" Zen growled.

Shifu grew pissed at this remark and he said, "I am a red panda and I think it's just foolish for parents to encourage this kind of crime."

Mai-Yu went over to Shifu and said, "We came here for Kaleo and we will finish the job!"

She pulls out her sword and Zen brings in his dagger ready to strike at Kaleo and he said, "Last chance, son...come home with us!"

Kaleo roars at their faces and said, "Never! I will never come home with you monsters!"

Zen could see that he's rebelling against their parent's wishes and knew that this will be not be tolerated and he said, "So be it!"

* * *

And the battle is on! In the next chapter, I mean.


	16. Fighting for Kaleo

The moment you've all been waiting for!

* * *

Chapter 16: Fighting for Kaleo

Both Mai-Yu and Zen came running across them, planning to beat up their only son and just then, Musaki got in the way and punched both of them in the face and kicked them in the shin. Zen lands on his feet and he lets out a snarl and pulls out his dagger to chuck it at Musaki and when he threw it, Musaki graciously dodges it and he said, "Missed me!"

Zen was outraged that Musaki could dodge his aim and he wanted to murder him badly so when he leaped over to him with his claws coming in, Musaki jumps up and kicks him in the jaw, where he falls down on the ground and Mai-Yu looks over to see if her husband's okay and when he gets up, she stares at Musaki angrily and she said, "My son should not be around bad influences like you!"

Musaki scoffed at that comment, probably because it's simply ironic to think that Kaleo's surrounded by the real bad influences in his life and he said, "We're bad influences to your son?"

Suddenly, all of them came forward and Tigress was ticked to overhear that the masters are bad influences to Kaleo and she spat out, "Teaching their own son to kill people and get away with it is considered bad influences so the only ones who are is yourselves!"

Mai-Yu took that as an offensive statement and she shouted, "How dare you?"

"Less talk, more punchy!" Po shouted.

They just resorted into fighting each other and Po opted to take down Zen again and soon enough, Zen brought in a big ax and it was close to Po's size with a blade twice as sharp and long and the middle-aged lion planned to chop up parts of the Dragon Warrior and as he was about to do so, Tigress comes in and kicks him down, strangled his neck and flipped him down hard. Then, when she heads to Po's side, she asked, "You okay, Po?"

"Never been better." Po responded back.

Zen lets out a scream as he comes charging in on both of them and both of them jumped up and kicked him in the stomach and Po comes up and belly-slams Zen in the face hard. Tigress went ahead and grabbed him by the tail and flipped him multiple times and when she threw him up in the air, Po runs over and she grabs him and threw him in the air, giving him multiple kicks in the face and lands down on the ground, with Po on his feet and Zen on his stomach.

Meanwhile, Shifu and Musaki went ahead with Monkey, Viper and Mantis to take down Mai-Yu and she could easily kill all of them without a shadow of doubt and she weilded in her mace and plans to aim at them and when she swung it around, all of them wasted no time fighting back. Monkey jumps up in the air and kicks her in the face while Viper swoops in and swipes her in the face and stomach as well.

Mai-Yu landed on her feet, shook it off like it's nothing and continued going in to finish the job, but then felt something tingling around her side and not long after, she got thrown up, down and around and punched out and to her surprise, Mantis got in her face and asked, "What kind of mother are you?"

She got up and went after Mantis, but soon enough, Musaki stopped her with his supersonic backflip moves where he garnered enough power to take her down by using his fist and flipped her across the air and landed her on the ground.

"Murder is a bad mother...shut yo' mouth!" Monkey shouted.

Mai-Yu growls and punched Musaki in the jaw and used her machete to pummel him down, but Shifu went and grabbed it from her and threw it directly at her and shouted, "You will not do any harm to my students as long as I'm around!"

"Maybe I can make it easier for you!" Mai-Yu growled.

She then brings out a can of poison to bring Shifu down to a poisonous death and when Musaki got up and saw this come out, he immediately called out to Tigress and as soon as she got his attention, she quickly ran up to stop Mai-Yu and then pinned her down to the ground and she shouted, "You leave my master be!"

"Your master should not have intruded our business!" Mai-Yu shouted.

Zen went over to murder all of them, but Po grabbed him by the neck and head-butted him hard and punched him as hard as he could and Monkey flipped him in places he never flipped before. Suddenly, Mai-Yu saw Kaleo standing there near the door and she slowly walked up to him, while Kaleo was desperately trying to find an escape route and as she came closer to him, she let out a sinister chuckle and said, "Pathetic weakling. I should've known that you would give up everything we worked for all these years! Now...you will pay for defying us and giving us away!"

Mai-Yu grabbed her sword and planned to stab Kaleo, but Tigress kicked her hard in the shin and she quickly turned to Kaleo and asked, "You all right?"

Kaleo lets out a deep sigh and said, "Yeah, thanks."

Suddenly, Zen heads over to the roof of the palace with his knife in hand to stab his son and when he leaped down, Crane immediately swooped up and kicked him in mid-air, spun him around and thrashed him down to the ground and everyone beat both of them to a huge pulp and Mai-Yu and Zen refused to be defeated by them.

Zen looked at Musaki and with an angry growl, he walked over to him and put his claws on his shoulders, making Musaki cry out in pain and Zen looked at him with hate and anger in his eyes and said, "You had the nerve to fill my son's head with weak thoughts and think that killing is wrong! He had no right to run away from us and you also have no right to take him in!"

"He did the right thing! And maybe killing _**is **_wrong because it's a crime...a crime that you're encouraging him to commit!" Musaki shouted.

"Me and my wife did it because it's what we do! If Kaleo refuses to do so, he won't have life as well!" Zen shouted!

"Well, I feel sorry for your son! He would've been better off raised by wolves for all I care!" Musaki spat out.

Zen had had enough of Musaki's words and decided to go straight to killing and when he reaches in his claws to kill him, Po shouts out loud and rolled over him and then kicked him in the lion nuts. He then rushes over to Musaki and he sees the claw marks on his shoulders and asked, "You okay, Lil' Saki?"

Musaki lets out a heavy sigh and he replied, "I'm fine. Just a little scratch is all."

Shifu stood in front of Kaleo as Mai-Yu tried to get near him, but Shifu wouldn't let her have it and she shouted, "Move it, midget!"

That comment made Shifu pissed because that is considered an insult and said, "I draw the line at midget! You are not getting anywhere near Kaleo!"

"Who the hell are you to tell me not to get near my son?" Mai-Yu shouted, with much anger she spat on.

"He shouldn't have to be raised by the likes of you!" Shifu added.

Both Zen and Mai-Yu were fed up with them standing in their way of their jobs and felt as if they had no choice but to kill them all and as soon as they were gonna stab each and every single one of them, Kaleo couldn't take it anymore and he quickly shouted, "LEAVE THEM ALONE!"

It garnered both of their attention and both of them stared at Kaleo with hate and rage in their eyes and Zen was the first to say, "What did you say?"

"I said leave...them...alone!" Kaleo shouted, enunciatedly.

* * *

Only Kaleo is left standing to finish the battle and this is gonna be extraordinary!


	17. True Potential

Big thanks to vampire1031 for suggesting this orb that Kaleo can use.

* * *

Chapter 17: True Potential

Mai-Yu and Zen stared at Kaleo in anger and fury like he just said the wrong thing to his own parents and were shocked to see that he's actually defending them and took their side. Mai-Yu roars at him and said, "I cannot believe that you would actually side with those people!"

Kaleo growled at her with much fury as he could possibly gain and he said, "These 'people' are my friends!"

That obviously offended Zen the most as he walked over to his son and said, "Friends are for the weak! What could you possibly do to have friends?"

"At least they care for me!" Kaleo responded.

Zen felt as if he doesn't know who his son is anymore and he couldn't stand the thought of it for one minute and he grabbed his dagger and planned to use it at his son, so he lets out a huge bellow and just as he's about to kill him, there was a huge orb of fire coming at him and struck Zen down hard and fell down to the ground.

Mai-Yu looked up in shock as a huge orb of fire and electricity surrounds Kaleo to keep his parents from killing him and Zen got himself up and has an astounding amount of shock and outrage that he has that amount of power coming out of him and the masters were also shocked to see that come out of him.

"What the hell was that?" asked Mai-Yu, angrily.

Soon enough, Kaleo finally realized what that orb was and he whispered, "The necro orb..."

Mai-Yu quickly charged at Kaleo to see if she'll put her paws on him, but she got electrocuted herself as she headed too close to the orb and was sent flying in the air, landing at the tree. Zen roars at his son and wanted to give him a huge beating and said, "That's it! I've had it up to here!"

Zen quickly charges at him and he gets his sword out and when he throws it towards Kaleo, the orb blocked it out of the way and landed on the ground, which made Zen appalled to know that his son could actually do that.

"Everything you ever told me was a lie." Kaleo said, angrily.

Mai-Yu then comes back and stood at her husband's side and she looked at Kaleo and asked, "We refuse to have you go against us! We gave you life!"

"And you gave me years of suffering! Watching you kill every single innocent villager day by day like it's a free for all! And guess what, I hate fighting! I want to protect other people and be the solution instead of the problem!" Kaleo spat out.

Both parents gasped in horror to hear that their only son hated fighting the whole time even after they taught him how to fight and they didn't want to believe anything he said was true and Zen shouted, "Liar! What good will protecting the enemy do?"

"Protect them from people like you." Kaleo replied.

Mai-Yu and Zen looked at each other and decided to end this right here and now, so they ran towards him with their weapons in hand and when they leaped up, a ring of fire and electricity surrounded Kaleo and just when they were getting close, it struck both of them down hard, giving them mounds of scars, cuts and bruises.

Both of them could not believe that they were going down in defeat and just then, Zen got up, groaning in pain and he looked at his son and said, "You...good for nothing beast. You're gonna regret this! You will come home with us if it's the last thing we do!"

Zen comes at Kaleo again, but this time, Kaleo closed his eyes and lets that ring of fire rise up and consumes his father, burning him down in flames. Zen was screaming in pain as he was being burned to the ground and Mai-Yu looks over in horror as she watches her husband get burned and she runs over to Kaleo to kill him, but she got struck with electricity again and this time, she fell down to the ground and stopped moving.

Zen was burned into ashes and the necro orb suddenly fades away from Kaleo and he looks over his parents dead bodies and said, "I never needed you anyway."

Soon enough, all of the masters looked at Kaleo in shock and in awe to see how he handled it himself and Po said, "That...was...awesome!"

"Who would've known you've got something in ya?" asked Musaki.

Kaleo chuckled softly at this and replied, "Guess I don't know where I got my own strength from."

10 minutes later...

After Kaleo explained how he got that orb from, the warriors stared at him mystified to see this come and Shifu said, "So you can predict everyone's desire?"

"Yeah. My parent's desire is that they'll suffer the same fate as their victims did." Kaleo answered.

"Wow, Kaleo. You're extraordinary." Monkey said.

"You know, you could be a good kung-fu master." Tigress added, with a smile on her face.

Kaleo blinked twice and he looks at all of them and said, "As much as it's an honor, I don't think that'll be a possibility."

All of the masters were also surprised to hear this come out of Kaleo and Po asked, "Why not?"

"I know I'm a skilled fighter, but I don't think I want to spend most of my life fighting. I just want to protect people and help them out and I would rather be the solution instead of the problem." Kaleo responded.

Shifu totally understood what that meant for Kaleo when he said he'd rather help out than fight and he said, "So that's the reason why you don't like fighting?"

"Yeah. All I want to do is just live my life in peace and try to leave all of the bullcrap I faced in the past and just move on." Kaleo stated.

Musaki went over to Kaleo, puts his hand on his shoulder and said, "We totally understand."

The others agreed as well and they surrounded Kaleo and hugged him and for Kaleo, it was something that he really needed; to be surrounded by people who cares and love him and that was all he wanted.

* * *

The two murderers are dead! Maybe now Kaleo can live a life in peace.


	18. Finally Moving On

Things are getting cool after this fight and Kaleo starts to move on.

* * *

Chapter 18: Finally Moving On

Hours had passed by since the final fight with Kaleo's parents and Kaleo lays down on the floor in Musaki's room, just contemplating on everything he had endured since his time in the Jade Palace and how things have changed over the course of two weeks since he set foot there after running away from his parents.

And it was also good to see that his parents were finally out of his life for good so he wouldn't have to suffer anymore and that he would be able to live a peaceful life. But the visions of people getting killed by his parents and others taunting him remains in his head as those memories will never go away.

Kaleo lets out a deep sigh as he looked up at the ceiling and with his parents gone, he still feels like he's alone...even though he's stayed with Musaki, Po, Shifu and the Five. They've treated him pretty good here and he hopes that he can stay a little longer, but there's the other thought that maybe he might find a place to call home, just so the emotional healing can begin.

Soon enough, in comes Musaki walking in the door and he saw Kaleo laying there and he went up to him and said, "Great power."

Kaleo looks up and sees Musaki standing there and he sat up and replied, "Thanks. As I said, I don't really know where I get my strength from."

"So...what's on your mind?" asked Musaki.

Kaleo wasn't sure what to tell Musaki about and he scratched the back of his head and said, "I don't really know. I should be happy that my parents are gone, but the memories will always come back to me; the taunting, the visions of innocent people getting killed. It's never gonna go away quickly."

Musaki could definitely understand what he's saying and knows that it's hard to move on from a memory that's very personal to you and that it shouldn't be forgotten no matter how many times you try. He sat down and said, "Dude, I feel your pain. You know, about how bad memories always stay with you. When I was three, my parents were killed by Tai Lung. You may have heard of him, so...anyways, I witnessed him killing my mom and dad and that's just one memory that always scarred me on the back of my mind throughout my whole life. I used to feel like I was alone until Shifu came in and took me in and gave me the life I never thought I would have and I still feel that way ever since for the last four years. There's not a day that goes by when I don't think about my parents because I do. And that memory always stuck with me for 14 years."

Kaleo looked at Musaki wide-eyed and mystified because he never really knew that much about him since he's been in the Jade Palace for 2 weeks and he was also surprised that he quickly identified himself if he was put in his position. He then asked, "Were your parents...like any other parents? Just kind, loving, peaceful, compassionate?"

Musaki chuckled softly and said, "It was always a house of love. Even though there were only three of us, we always had love."

Kaleo sighed heavily and thought about that word for a millisecond and then he lowered his head down, feeling a little bit of sadness that he's never felt that way before and Musaki could tell that there was something brewing inside of his head and he asked, "You never felt that way, did ya?"

"No. Never. The only thing my parents had love for...was killing others and mating each other. But mostly killing." Kaleo answered.

Musaki looked at Kaleo for a second and with only several blinks, he wanted to change the subject and asked, "So...why did you give me a hard time when you first came here?"

Kaleo was actually glad that Musaki changed the subject very quickly and he lets out a guilty exhale and replied, "Because I thought that you'd see me as everyone else does...like a trespasser for barging into your palace and that you wouldn't understand what I went through. I wasn't sure how you would think of me, seeing that I'm a lion and you would think that I'm a murderer...just like my parents."

"I would never say these things nor even think those thoughts about you. I would always give people I don't know a chance and I'm never one to judge quickly and harshly because it's not me. My father has always told me to love everyone and treat them as if they're family to you and you're like one example of that philosophy." Musaki explained.

Kaleo had never thought of it in this way before and hearing those kinds of words, it was like he was being taught by Musaki to move on with the past and just live life without any regrets. He looked up at Musaki and said, "You guys are good people here. I've never been surrounded by that unit before."

"You should just be a part of it, if you let it. Also, you think you can control your anger?" asked Musaki.

Kaleo knew that part was coming up and he lets out a nervous sigh and he said, "I'll still have it. Even when I suck at something new or if I can't wait for something to happen, I might get easily pissed off and get out of control. It's a part of me that I need to work on, but I need someone to help me."

Musaki could see that Kaleo's temper would be similar to Tigress' only he's a lion and they can be easily agitated, more so than tigers. He then said, "You can still work on it. You still have your flaws, but who doesn't? It's a part of life. We all have issues, but we can try to solve it instead of running away or just giving up. Plus, you can't let what happened to your past make you who you are because it just doesn't matter anymore. What matters is who you are now."

That made Kaleo smile for a minute and he walks over to Musaki and hugs him for a second and Musaki did not know how to react to it and asked, "What's this for?"

"For being there for me." Kaleo replied.

That warmed up Musaki's heart and when he hugged him back, Kaleo let out a soft purr and it's like darkness and sorrow left him behind and was placed with light and happiness...something he's never felt in a long time. He then said, "It's gonna be hard to leave this place."

"What are you suggesting?" asked Musaki.

They broke off the hug for a second and said, "I still need to find a place to start a new life after everything had occured. I still want to help people and be the solution to the problem instead of the cause."

Musaki thought about it for a second and after 10 seconds, he said, "I think I might know where."

* * *

Anyone wanna take a guess? Next chapter's got all the answers!


	19. Mixed Feelings

Joe 'Po' Navark and I pitched this chapter on how Kaleo feels about losing his parents. One hand, he feels relieved knowing that he won't have to deal with them anymore, but he also feels saddened that they were the only two family members he had.

* * *

Chapter 19: Mixed Feelings

"Shanghai Secluded Valley?" asked Po, in a surprised tone.

Musaki nodded his head quickly and replied, "Why not? It's a good place for him."

Po shrugged about this idea and he wasn't really sure if this would be a good move for Kaleo and he said, "I don't know, Lil' Saki. Shouldn't he rather be here?"

Musaki glared at Po for a second at that comment he made and he said, "He said he needed to find a place to hopefully get over his parents. Now that they're dead, I'm certain that Shanghai Secluded Valley will help him ease the scars he's been carrying for years."

Po stared at Musaki for a second and he still had his doubts about Kaleo going to live in Shanghai Secluded Valley and he asked, "Did you tell Kaleo about this?"

"I'm about to. As much as he likes it here, he still wants to find a place to move on with his life. Plus, he says that fighting is not his style and it's not something he would do for the rest of his life because he would rather protect and be the cure of any problem instead of being the sickness." Musaki said.

"The sickness?" Po asked, confusedly.

"Like he doesn't want to be a part of the problem but rather the solution." Musaki added.

"Oh, yeah. He told us that already. I'm surprised that he doesn't want to be a kung-fu master after that insane power he used against his parents." Po exclaimed.

Musaki sighed softly and he continued on saying, "Not everyone wants to be a kung-fu master, anyway."

Later on, Kaleo heads to the Sacred Peach Tree to get some air and as he arrived, he sits down for a while and lets the wind breeze through his light-orange fur and he started contemplating about his parent's death. On one hand, he felt relieved that they're finally gone and that he would never see them again because they show nothing but evil, but on the other hand, he feels very saddened that he lost them because they were the only ones he had left of his family.

Those thoughts were really running through his head and felt like he was alone again and he felt a weird connection towards them that they were the only two relatives he had even though he despised them the entire time because of their jobs as assassins.

But at the same time, he felt a growing sense of peace slowly coming into him that maybe it was meant to happen.

"Something's troubling you, I see."

Kaleo quickly turns around and sees Shifu standing there and he lets out a heavy exhale and he said, "I just got a lot on my mind. Since my parents are dead now, I don't know if I should feel happy or sad about it."

Shifu pondered at that question for a minute and he could tell that Kaleo has mixed feelings about this and he said, "What do you feel about it?"

Now that one was a hard question for Kaleo and he tried his best to gather in his thoughts and he turned to Shifu and replied, "I don't know how I feel about it anymore. My parents were the only ones I had and even though I hated what they did, it still feels as though they were my only family."

"Kaleo...if your parents had still been alive, all citizens of China would've been killed by them." Shifu added.

Kaleo knew Shifu was right about that because it would actually mean that he would've watched the entire people of China get killed had their parents had lived and he did not want to feel this kind of pain again and it wasn't an easy process to start over, but then he looked at Shifu and said, "You're probably right. I've kept so many things bottled up inside of me for a long time ago that I completely put up a wall around myself so I wouldn't feel anything anymore."

"I understand." Shifu added.

"What should I do?"

"The main thing you have to do is realize that everything happens for a reason and we may not understand why, but it's just the way life is. We just have to live with it." Shifu answered.

Kaleo totally agreed with what Shifu said and even though he still has mixed feelings about it, in the end, he was ready to put everything about his past right behind him and just move on with his life. He turned to Shifu and said, "If it's all the same to you...I think I wanna find somewhere new where I can just find peace and focus on right now."

Shifu completely nodded his head and ever since he's been in the Jade Palace, he's gained a newfound sense of self and that he'll be a fighter...just not in the way his parents envisioned him, but something else that defines the meaning of the word. He looked over at Kaleo and said, "You are a wise young man. Young, but wise. I'm hoping you can take whatever we taught you wherever you go. And I think your parents would've followed your example of knowing that whatever they did was wrong. You're a good kid, Kaleo."

Kaleo chuckled softly as he bowed to Master Shifu and he said, "Thanks. And you're a good master."

As soon as Shifu left, Kaleo looked up at the sky and what's on his head right now...that he's moving on with his life and that he will become his own person...better than his parents.

* * *

Looks like he's on the right track now. Last chapter is coming up!


	20. A Fresh New Start

And this is it! The last chapter of this fic and expect some familiar faces to come at the end!

* * *

Chapter 20: A New Fresh Start

Another week has passed and Musaki walks over to the hallway to the barracks and he sees Kaleo coming through and he stops him for a second and asked him if he would like to talk with him in Musaki's room and when he agreed, he enters inside and tells him, "Musaki...I wanna thank you."

Musaki looked at him bewildered like as if he was thanking him for something out of nowhere and he asked, "For what?"

"For everything. I still feel bad about treating you the way I treated you when I first came here and I know it wasn't right of me to do that. I was just so angry about everything in the past that I..." Kaleo said, then paused himself for a second.

Musaki puts his hand on his shoulder and said, "Dude, I already forgave you. I can totally understand how something tragic in your past has an effect on you, but you can't always make it who you are now. All you have to do is just focus on the present and the future."

Those words that Master Shifu told him not too long along seems to echo into Musaki and soon enough, Kaleo felt like his burdens are lifted up and he said, "I will."

"I actually wanted to tell you something. You said you wanted to continue finding a place where you can restart your life again. I know a place where you can do just that." Musaki added.

That seemed to lighten Kaleo up a little bit as he rose his head and asked, "Where?"

"A place called Shanghai Secluded Valley. It's like the Valley of Peace, only much more peaceful and serene with a stunning breathtaking view of the mountains, awesome sunsets, friendly faces and everything in between. And it's about 10 miles from here." Musaki answered.

It widened Kaleo's eyes to hear a place like that and he seemed suddenly interested into seeing what it might look like and he said, "That sounds like a good place to move forward."

Musaki chuckled at this and said, "Trust me, it is. Whatever day is good for you to move in, it'll be cool with me."

Kaleo was happy to be able to move ahead, but it seemed like it was very hard to leave, knowing that he had it really good in the Jade Palace for a short period of time and he started to like the atmosphere a lot, but he knew in his heart that it's not a place for him to stay because he doesn't like fighting so much. He nodded his head and said, "Sure."

"You're gonna miss it here, aren't ya?" asked Musaki.

Kaleo takes another look into the room and parts of the barracks and he said, "A lot. There's good people here."

"Yes, there is."

Not long after, the Five couldn't help but hear that Kaleo might move to another place and they were pleasantly surprised that the young lion actually thought this up and didn't expect him to leave and Viper went up to him and asked, "We heard that you're gonna leave soon. Is that true?"

Kaleo didn't know how they could actually hear this and he said, "Pretty much. This palace is cool and all, but I don't think I would want to spend the rest of my life just fighting all the time. I've already gotten over the death of my parents, so...it's just time for me to move on."

Tigress was taken aback by all this and she didn't think he would want to go and asked, "Why would you want to leave all of a sudden? I thought that you'd be able to harness the training of kung-fu."

"I have much respect for the art form of China. Just don't want to be a part of it." Kaleo stated.

Monkey looks over at him and asked, "But you'll be alone again. Where will you go?"

Kaleo took a deep sigh and he said, "Wherever life takes me so I can start living a new life. And that new life is in Shanghai Secluded Valley."

The Five were stunned and surprised to hear that Kaleo's gonna move to Shanghai Secluded Valley and Crane immediately asked, "Who told you that you would go there?"

Musaki clears his throat and he said, "I was actually the one who suggested it."

"Why?" asked Tigress.

"Just think...a place you could go where you don't have to focus on life's misfortunes and a place to heal. Shanghai Secluded Valley is that place with new memories, new lives and new faces." Musaki answered.

Most of the Five have mixed feelings about Kaleo leaving the Jade Palace, but Viper comes over to him and she asked, "Will we ever see you again if you leave?"

"It depends...but yeah." Kaleo added.

Monkey, Viper and Crane reached out to Kaleo and they bowed to him and Crane said, "I hope you take in everything we taught you and use it in your life. And let's hope you simmer that temper of yours."

Kaleo chuckled softly at that remark and he said, "I'll try. But it's not gonna go away overnight because I'll still have it, you know? All I need to do is work on it."

"Yes, you will."

"And...thank you guys...for everything."

The Five bowed to him in respect and surprisingly...Kaleo bowed back to them and Monkey said, "You're still a warrior to me."

2 days later...

Kaleo and Musaki stood outside waiting for someone to give them a ride to Shanghai Secluded Valley and all the masters stood there, giving Kaleo some emotional support and Shifu said, "Remember us on your journey."

Kaleo turned to Shifu and he said, "I will...Master Shifu. And thanks again to all of you. I just wished that I could still learn a lot from you guys."

"Do not be a stranger when you come back and visit us."

Kaleo nodded his head and he lets out a smile towards them all and Po said, "Guess this is goodbye, huh?"

"More like...see you later." Kaleo corrected.

Not long after, they all hear a roar come out of the sky and when they turn around, they seek a dragon coming towards the Jade Palace and everyone was completely speechless to see them come in and Musaki said, "Well, there's our ride."

When they hopped in the dragon, Kaleo looks down at them and waves them goodbye and despite the shock that Kaleo and Musaki were riding the dragon, the masters all waved goodbye to Kaleo as they set off.

Shifu watched them go and he had high hopes for Kaleo and said, 'You're still a warrior to me.'

At Shanghai Secluded Valley

Later in the day, the dragon landed towards the ground on the base of the Valley and when they got off, they seek Musaki's grandfather coming in and he went up to him and said, "Xing-Fu! And what do I owe this visit?"

"I can't stay long, grandpa. I'm dropping off someone that can hopefully adjust to a new life here." Musaki added.

Oak Sung was curious to see who that person was and when he saw Kaleo come behind him, he comes over and said, "Welcome to Shanghai Secluded Valley, young man. What's your name?"

"I'm Kaleo Toshiro."

Oak Sung shook his hand and he said, "So...what's your story?"

Kaleo lets out a heavy sigh and replied, "It's a long story."

Just then, out of nowhere...Musaki sees Taji and Liu Shang walking by and as he called them out, the two turn around and they saw Musaki coming and they immediately come over and greeted themselves while dogpiling him and laughing together. Taji was excited to see Musaki and said, "How goes it, Saki?"

"Pretty good, Taj." Musaki said, laughing.

Liu Shang walks over to him and said, "I didn't expect to see you here."

Musaki chuckled and he looks at Liu and asked, "How ya been, Liu?"

"Awesome, man. What brings you by?" Liu Shang asked.

Just then, Kaleo comes over to Musaki and he sees both Taji and Liu Shang for the first time and to Liu's surprise, he saw another lion just like him and he said, "Hey, I'm Liu Shang."

"I'm Kaleo. Musaki told me about this place being such a peaceful and good place to live." Kaleo added.

"Yeah, it is." Taji said.

"I'm hoping I can have a place to live here." Kaleo added.

Not long after that, Kaleo went along with Taji and Liu Shang to Taji's place and Kaleo had a feeling that this is gonna be a good place to live and Musaki came over and said, "You'll be very happy here."

"Hope we see each other again soon." Kaleo added.

"Me too."

Both of them hugged each other and Kaleo definitely felt like this place is gonna be a great new home for him to start up his new life and when he departed, he looks back and saw Taji and Liu Shang in front of Kaleo and said, "Take care of him, okay?"

"We will!" Taji exclaimed.

Musaki got back on his dragon and waved bye to Kaleo, Liu Shang, Taji and Oak Sung as he flew away and Kaleo looks up at the sky and thought to himself, 'Thank you, Musaki...for finally giving me peace and that my life will start fresh and that I'll be a better person than my parents.'

* * *

And that's a wrap! Remember Taji and Liu Shang from 'Warrior on the Inside'? Decided to give them a little cameo. Thanks so much for all the support and for breaking more reviews than ever since it hit the hundred-mark again! Also, if you guys created a soundtrack to this fic, name any song(s) on every chapter that's used for the entire story. That'd be awesome! Well, gonna post a new fic in a few, so AniUniverse saying, thanks and let's roll!


End file.
